A game of Death and Life MK2
by DatXeno91
Summary: In one world he is a normal guy. In another, he is the legacy of something great. It takes the meddling of a god to bring both together. Now, how will Daniel deal with the expectations? Treating it all like a game, of course! (Gamer fic, rewrite. OC-centric. Book 1. Sequel: A game of rebirth and hope)
1. 1-1 Praise to the chaos god

**Alright you beautiful people! Xeno is back, back, back from the dead tonight!**

**Ahem, sorry. That song is just stuck in my head lately.**

**Anyway! I'm glad to have you all here, for the new and improved 'A game of death and life', with its first ark: 'A game of Humans and Dragons'!**

**The biggest differences from the previous version will be:**

**1) John is going to be cut out from the story. Sad, I know. Some of you people liked him, and that both him and Daniel had someone who could always keep up, but… it wasn't meant to be. It was a very big hassle to keep track of both characters'… everything. Plus, considering also Sora and Nox, there were four Gamers in the story. Yeah, never again. If people still want Sora, I can arrange something, but otherwise you're shit out of luck.**

**2) The Game system was modified heavily. The changes will be visible trough the chapters, but don't worry: one way or another Daniel will still be our beloved spellblade. Maybe with less idiotic spells. *cough* Acheomensis *cough***

**And with that said, let's have a round of applause for this chapter's, and hopefully the whole story's, beta! ShadowfireAngel! Thanks, bud! You've done an awesome job!**

* * *

**-?, ?, Daniel's POV-**

"Ugh… I feel like crap…"

My head was swimming, but I could see that I was in some weird place that didn't feel even remotely familiar. I took a minute to steady myself, and when I did, I studied my surroundings. Wherever I was looked barren, just an endless, iridescent void that looked like the cosmos.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I blinked. Once I reopened my eyes, I found myself sitting down at a small table, still in this endless void. I didn't even feel myself moving, so of course that spooked me. Hesitantly, I blinked again. The table was still there, but another being was sitting opposite to me.

Whoever it was, they looked very similar to Tom Hiddleston, just… much more androgynous. It was actually impossible to tell if they were male or female. The being smiled.

"Welcome, child, to the branches of Yggdrasil. We are currently in a branch that is between Midgard, your home, and Asgard, my own home. My name is Loki. I assume you know of me."

As I registered the being's…Loki's words, I felt my mind's gears screech to a halt.

"Huh…" I muttered, "Guess the Norse were right all along…"

Loki had definitely heard what I said, as their smile became more pronounced. "Not only them. All religions are true."

Mind. Blown.

After a minute or so, I collected back my thoughts well enough to speak again. "Alright, but anyway… I suppose I should ask, why am I here?"

Loki's smile became cold. "I can't answer that yet, I'm afraid. Let's just say that I keep my promises. I was asked by a good friend to help you reach your full potential, and I intend to do just that."

I felt shivers crawl up my back, Loki's stare was burning holes into my own eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, they let up. "Of course, I can't do it without your approval… my friend would go rabid if he found out." Loki snickered to themselves, stretching a hand towards me. "So? Will you accept my help?"

I stared at the offered hand for a minute, before speaking up. "What will you do if I refuse?"

Loki shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll wipe your memory, wait until you have a son, and then ask him the same question. I did so with your grandfather, your father, and now with you." They gave me a pointed look. "I'm immortal. I have all the time I want."

This time I gave Loki a glare of my own. "And if I agree? What would happen, exactly?"

"Bah, power, adventure, women, whatever you want, really. Of course, only if you accomplish one certain task for me." They noticed my narrowing eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that. It's not all that complicated, and, of course, I'll help…to an extent. After all, it is _you _who must do this."

Seeing that I wasn't convinced yet, they relented a bit. "Oh, fine. I'll make you a promise: if you can reach the peak of human power, I'll tell you all the details on this task. Then, if you think you can't or don't want to go on, I'll send you back home to when I took you. Deal?"

I gave Loki a textbook deadpan look. "That would take years, decades even. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

They were quick to shoo away my concerns.

"Normally, yes, but you do have a god on your side. It would take around a month, with my help. And again, after that little quest I have for you is done, you can keep the power and go home, or do whatever. After that, I have no more business with you."

I sat and pondered for what felt like an eternity...It probably was around ten minutes. In the end, I relented. Loki didn't strike me as actually evil. Mischievous, maybe, but I felt like they would keep their promise. I shook Loki's hand, and they laughed. It wasn't an evil laugh, but not a mirthful one either. It was…empty, really.

"Good choice, child. Now, off with you."

And just like that, I blacked out.

* * *

**-1****st**** day, Avalar, Daniel's POV-**

I woke up with a start, and immediately I found myself falling…straight into a river.

"_Oh, fuck you Loki!"_ I screamed in my mind, as I tried to not drown, or to slam into any rocks. It took a while, but after about fifteen minutes of getting washed to and from any direction, I hit land. Literally.

"Ooof!" I grunted, feeling my breath escape my lungs from the impact.

I dragged myself onto the ground proper, and only after I got about three meters away from the edge of the accursed river did I finally let myself relax. Well, more like drop to the ground face down. I just wanted to lay there for however long it would take for the aches to fade, but apparently fate had other ideas for me. Some minutes into my resting, I could hear the foliage around me being disturbed by something.

"An ape? Here? That's absurd…those beasts must be planning something." I could hear someone mutter just loud enough for me to hear, although, that probably that wasn't his intention. He probably thought I was unconscious. Might as well play along.

"Mrgh… Where am I?" I ground out, doing my best to give the impression that I'd just woken up.

Whoever was there did something…from the sound of it…he unsheathed a sword? _"Who the fuck uses swords anymore?"_

Only once had I looked in his direction, I realized what I was dealing with…it was a fucking Khajiit! Although it looked kind of wonky, the basis was all there! Feline face, fur all over, looked ready to tear me a new one… one of those wasn't like the others. So, back to Cat-man over there, he was holding a sword at my throat, and looked about ready to extend his arm another couple inches.

"Uh…hello?" I said, hoping to defuse the situation. It didn't work.

"Don't play games with me, ape. Your kind are not welcome in these lands, so you'd better tell me what you are planning, before I decide to force the information out of you." He growled out, probably trying to sound intimidating…he actually was.

"Look, man, I have no idea what you're talking about, I literally just woke up in the damn river, and passed out once I got out of it! I haven't the foggiest idea on how I got in there in the first place! You gotta believe me, dude!" Not my proudest moment, admittedly. Still, I was creeped out of my wits, and this furry guy threatening to kill me certainly wasn't helping!

The Cat-man looked at me disdainfully for a while, before snorting and slamming the pommel of his sword in my temple. While I was dazed, he moved behind me and tied my arms behind my back. He then hoisted me up to my feet, and forced me to move forward.

"I'll let the guards deal with you. I've got more important things to deal with." He muttered.

While I was walking, everything became monochrome, and nothing moved. In front of my eyes, a light blue screen popped up.

***ding***

**I promised I would help, didn't I? Well, here you go! I looked a bit ****through**** your memories, and I took something that would let you get powerful without requiring too much meddling on my part! Sooo… here's your very own version of the 'Gamer' ability! I'll be a bit different from the original, but you should be able to figure it out. If you have ****any questions, the ****'help' screen is just a thought away. So, I hope you enjoy your time!**

**-Loki**

Well, if that's right… _"Status__.__"_

***ding***

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)**

**Gp: 0**

**Lv: 1 (Xp: 0/100)**

**Hp: 40/40 (+0.8/min)**

**Mp: 10/10 (+1/min)**

**STR: 3**

**VIT: 4**

**AGI: 2**

**DEX: 3**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 1**

**Stat Points: 0**

"_That's…way worse than I'd expected…or maybe humans are way weaker than I expected?_" Regardless, I had a mission: to reach the peak of human limits as soon as possible, and get my answers from Loki!

***ding***

**New quest- This is what peak performance looks like!**

**Rank: C**

**Objective(s):**

**1)Reach level 20**

**2)Get answers out of Loki (+3.750 Xp, +250 Gp)**

**Bonus:**

**1)Complete the quest within a week (+1.000Xp, +100 Gp)**

**2)Complete the quest within a month (+500 Xp, +50 Gp)**

Well. At least quests were still a thing. I couldn't see any accept/decline button, so I assumed that self-imposed quests would be automatically accepted.

Once I closed that window, the world started flowing again… _"Damn it! I could have made a DIO reference there!"_ And with that little thought out of the way, I began walking, letting the Cat-man guide me.

It took a while, but we finally stopped for the night. While we walked, I experimented with the system, and found out a couple of important details. Mainly about my skills. Basically, it worked like in Skyrim: different spells don't level up singularly, but their use gives Xp to their own branch. For example;

**Skills:**

**-Magic**

**-Divine (Lv: 3/100, Xp: 10/225)**

**-Observe (Novice rank, 1 Mp to use)**

**-Create/Escape ID (Initiate rank, 25 Mp to use)**

The **Divine** branch leveled up a bit since I used Observe here and there whenever I could. It only gained Xp when the spell was successful, though. Each spell was apparently dependent to its branch's level.

**Observe (Novice rank, 1 Mp to use)**

**Grants information on the target.**

**Can only scan targets of a level less or equal to Gamer's + level of Divine magic. Rule doesn't apply to inanimate objects.**

So, in other words I could only scan beimgs of a level of 4 or less. Joy.

Actually, the **Divine** branch was the only one present on my skill list… maybe I had to learn the skills before they would appear? Possible, it would indeed help in keeping things less cluttered.

And finally, we had the **Perk** screen.

**Perks:**

**-Gamer's body**

**-Your body is nigh indestructible as long as you have Hp. All damage that would be received will be displayed as a loss of Hp or a status effect. Sleep can restore any wound. Bodily needs are dampened.**

**-Gamer's mind**

**-Your mind cannot be altered in any way other than by the Game itself. Mental fatigue negated. Excessive emotion can be dampened or negated, depending on user preference.**

**-?**

**-Your ? flows strong.**

**\- -100 REP to all ? aware of this perk**

**\- +100 REP to all ? aware of this perk**

**\- Grants title '?'**

Ominous-looking perk, ain't it?

Anyways, technical bull-crap and mysterious perks aside, this asshole Cat, which I couldn't Observe, of-fucking-course, decided to tie me to a tree. Without bothering to feed me. I mean sure, Gamer's body helped in making me need way less food, but it's the thought that counts!

Shaking my head, I concentrated on my plan: there was a decently sharp stone near me, so I was going to wait until the wanker was asleep, then take the rock, cut the rope, and bugger off.

It took around an hour or so of waiting, but finally he was deeply asleep. After some maneuvering with my feet, I managed to hold the stone, and slowly but surely, the rope was being cut. After a minute or so, the rope was thin enough that I could snap it. A thought popped up into my head, and I tried it out on a whim.

"_Inventory__.__"_ I thought, and sure enough, a window with a massive grid on it popped up. I scrolled the screen with my finger, and watched in fascination as the squares just kept going on and on. Experimentally, I pushed one end of the rope into one of the slots, and with a ripple the rope disappeared into the window.

**×2 rope pieces added to inventory**

And since I also had a seemingly infinite space, I also put the rock in it.

**×1 sharp stone added to inventory**

With that done, I decided it was time to high tail it out of there. At first, I sneaked away, and when I felt like I was far enough, I started jogging away. I didn't really know where I was going, I just thought that the farther I was from the Khajiit-wannabe, the better it was for me.

* * *

After probably a couple hours, and one extra VIT point, I found myself in a nice little clearing. There was also a river here, probably a branch of the one I fell into, or something.

I inspected the area a bit more carefully, making sure that there were no threats in the immediate vicinity. Once that was done, I allowed myself to rest a bit. I didn't exactly need it, but it still would help.

While I was resting, I decided that it would be a good time as any to start strategizing.

"_So, my physical stats are my best trait right now, until I find a way to train my MAG. Of course, I won't be able to create IDs until I increase it, so I'll need to put in a couple points once I level up. The question is, how do I level up? Well, hunting could be a decent strategy for now. I could also just get some skills and level them up, considering that I got some Xp from leveling up my __**Divine**__ branch… yeah, that'll work."_

With my basic strategy hashed out, I decided that first things first, I'd need a weapon. Looking around I found a couple straight branches, looking around two meters long.

**×4 long branches added to inventory**

A bit of sharpening with my sharp rock, and…

**Skill branch gained: Crafting**

**Skill gained: Weapons**

**Created: Wooden javelin (Poor, Simple)**

I grinned like a loon. I could make weapons, AND level up at the same time? Hell yes!

And with that, I created more javelins. Two more were just the same as the first, each giving 10 Xp to my skill. Then, my luck spiked. A bit.

**Created: Wooden javelin (Common, Simple)**

It seemed that the Xp gained from the skill increased compared to the rank of the items made…maybe also the complexity. The Common javelin gave 20 Xp, so that was nice. Maybe if I…

"_**Observe**__"_

***ding***

**Wooden javelin (Common, Simple)**

**Durability: 15/15**

**DMG: 8**

**A javelin made by Daniel Samuels. It's not very sturdy, but it can kill something.**

Woo! 40 Xp to **Divine** magic! So, I could spend my time making weapons, then I'd **Observe** them, leveling two skills at once! Actually, maybe…

I took one of my **Poor** javelins, and threw it at a tree around ten meters away from me. I was aiming for the center of the tree, but my aim was off, and I just nicked the side. Still, the effect was what I needed.

**Skill branch gained: Combat**

**Skill gained: Javelins**

Yes! So, I could also use the javelins for something! Power leveling, here I come!

* * *

Er…I may have been wrong on one thing. I needed a fuck ton more javelins before power leveling up. I had broken one, and was halfway through the second one before my **Javelin** skill leveled up even once, earning me a measly 5 Xp.

And that's how I found myself searching around for more branches. Fuck my life.

Well, for some happiness, I found some berries that my **Observe** classified as edible, among a bunch of others that were poisonous. Of course, I took a bunch of both.

Branches found! It took a couple hours, though. In the end, it was worth it. Of course, I observed everything I put in my Inventory. I didn't get more Xp for **Observing** the same item, but multiple items that were just the same worked. Noice!

I brought everything to my clearing…well, 'mine' might be pushing it a bit, but for now no one was complaining, so I was going to keep doing that. And so, I started grinding again my **Crafting**and **Divine** branch. I'd rather avoid wasting my javelins to level up my mastery, since I could do that while fighting.

Back to it I go!

* * *

**Day**** 2, Clearing, Daniel's POV-**

"_Oh my GOD! This is taking so fucking long! I swear, I'm bored out of my mind! It's morning at this point, too!"_

As you can tell, my day wasn't going that well. All of my crafting and **Observing** did nothing more than land me at this.

**Lv: 1 (Xp: 40/100)**

I wasn't a happy camper. Not by a long shot. So, I thought. How could I speed things up? Well, after some fiddling with my crafting branch, I found that making more complex things would net me more Xp for the respective skill!

Some pondering, and I got just the right idea: I scoured the plains, and plucked a lot of long grass leaves. Then, I went to the river and picked up a good amount of rocks, mainly those with a more triangular shape. I subsequently went on to smashing the rocks together to find the hardest one. After that, it was a long process of chipping the other rocks until they had a decent edge and point.

You got it already?

Well, I wove together the grass leaves, and made some rope! Shoddy, of course, but it would hold. Have to remember to thank mom for teaching me. I also got the skill for making tools, and leveled it up once.

I kept one of the ropes in the stash, you never knew when you would need it, and tied the stones to the javelins, creating…

**Rock spear (Common, medium)**

**Durability: 30/30**

**DMG: 12**

**A rudimentary spear made by Daniel Samuels. Better for stabbing than slashing.**

**×X×X×**

**Rock spear (Poor, medium)**

**Durability: 20/20**

**DMG: 10**

**A rudimentary spear made by Daniel Samuels. Really brittle. Better for stabbing than slashing.**

I had three common spears and a poor one. The quality was probably determined by the quality of the materials I used, since at the end I had to use a poor javelin, having finished my common ones.

And **Observing** all of these leveled up my **Divine **magic again! I was finally three quarters of the way through!

…what a drag. But I suppose that such is life for a grinder. But let's be honest, once I could use IDs my level would skyrocket. Little steps, Daniel. Little steps.

Since I had no more materials, I decided to get my new skill out of the way. I positioned myself in the middle of the clearing, and begun stabbing, spinning, and slashing at the air…or at least I tried. Never did I say I was very coordinated. I mean, my AGI was 2 and DEX was 3! Oh, never mind, it was 4. Forgot about the point I got while weaving the ropes.

At least I did get a **Spear** skill out of it. And, it got a good amount of Xp from my flailing. Guess that I found something I could actually power level other than my **Divine** magic.

I had to take a rest after reaching level 3 in **Spears**, but I got a VIT point for the strain. My Hp went up too!

So, I went on, and if I calculated correctly, I should have reached the awaited level up just after the next level up of the skill.

***ding***

**Skill: Spears leveled up! (3-4)**

***ding***

**Daniel leveled up! (1-2) You get 5 Stat points!**

Impatiently, I opened my status, and sure enough…

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)**

**Gp: 0**

**Lv: 2 (Xp: 5/200)**

**Hp: 60/60 (+1.2/min)**

**Mp: 10/10 (+1/min)**

**STR: 3**

**VIT: 6**

**AGI: 2**

**DEX: 4**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 1-2**

**Stat Points: 5**

I wanted to consider carefully the pros and cons of each stat, and possibly come up with a build that could be devastating, but… this level would be used for one thing mainly.

**Hp: 60/60 (+1.2/min)**

**Mp: 50/50 (+5/min)**

**STR: 3**

**VIT: 6**

**AGI: 2-3**

**DEX: 4**

**MAG: 1-5**

**LUK: 2**

**Stat Points: 0**

And that was, increasing my Mp. Plus, MAGIC, BOI!

I could probably go for a mix of physical and magical combat, but for now I just wanted to get a feel for combat, and then see what was meant for me. Plus, I knew only two spells.

And now, finally with enough Mp to try it out, I mimicked Han Jee-Han.

"ID create!"

And the world rippled around me.

Everything was…empty. There was no sound at all, only pure and utter quiet. It was… kind of creepy. And concerning. I pulled up **Create/Escape ID**'s window to check what I had done.

**Create/Escape ID (Initiate rank, 25 Mp/use)**

**Allows the caster to create a superimposed copy of the world around them, completely devoid of life other than plants. The higher the Divine skill is, the stronger the beings that the caster can create in the ID can be.**

***note: if only 'Create ID' is said, then the ID created will be automatically an empty one.***

**ID available:**

**Empty (base)**

**Zombie (Divine Lv: 5)**

"Oh." Welp, that was easily fixed. I was just going to wait five minutes for my Mp to recharge enough to try again.

Oh well, back to my spear I go.

* * *

5 minutes, and a new level in **Spears**, almost two, later, and I could open the zombie ID!

The sky was red, and groans rung out in the distance. I held up one of my spears, and moved into the woods. The Game at least had a minimap for me, although it could only see in a radius of up to ten meters in any direction. After some walking, a red dot popped up on my map, and I could hear some distinct groans and moans from my 2 o'clock.

Pivoting, I made my way carefully, doing my best to not make any noise. It also netted me the **Sneak** skill, from the **Stealth** branch. I hid behind a tree, and **Observed** my opponent.

**Zombie (+50% Hp, +20% STR & VIT)**

**Lv: 3**

**Hp: 50 (75/75)**

**Mp: N/A**

**STR: 7 (8.4)**

**VIT: 5 (6)**

**AGI: 2**

**DEX: 1**

**MAG: 0**

**LUK: 0**

**A dead body brought back to life. It wants to eat leaving beings. Doesn't know you're here.**

"_Well, I'm a bit faster than it, plus my coordination's better, so I should be able to defeat it as long as I stay evasive." _I planned. I put away the spear in my inventory and aimed at its head with one of my javelins. Instead, I hit its throat.

**Critical hit! 23 Damage!**

Hold up, THAT's how much I could make with a critical?... then again, my poor javelins had a DMG stat of 5. It did balance out.

While I was musing on that, the zombie managed to pull the javelin out of its throat, and threw it away, shambling towards me. I kept my distance, throwing two more javelins. Fat load of good it did.

**2 Damage!**

**2 Damage!**

So, I decided to forgo the useless things, and tried stabbing with one of my spears.

**6 Damage! Stunned!**

While the zombie was stumbling back, I took the chance to give another look at its Hp.

**Hp: 50 (42/75)**

… that was bullshit. Then, I realized something. _"The first javelin dealt an absurd amount of damage, since it gave a critical hit. Welp, let's see if I can do it again."_

I poured all of my power behind my thrust, and managed to score a hit right between the zombie's eyes!

**Vital hit! 39 Damage!**

The zombie fell down, but it wasn't dead yet. I could see it twitch still. A stomp to the head fixed that.

**Critical hit! Vital hit! 22 Damage!**

**Zombie Lv: 3 was slain! You gain 225 Xp!**

**Skill gained: Unarmed**

**Daniel leveled up! (2-3) You get 5 Stat points!**

**Due to your frenetic fighting, you gained 1 AGI!**

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Lv: 3 (50/300)**

**Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)**

**Gp: 0**

**Hp: 60/60 (+1.2 Hp/min)**

**Mp: 50/50 (+5 Mp/min)**

**STR: 3**

**VIT: 6**

**AGI 3 - 4**

**DEX 4**

**MAG 5**

**LUK 2 - 3**

**Stat points: 5**

I could have just kept the points, but… I was way too weak at the moment to be greedy. Once I could comfortably dish out damage, I would start hoarding.

**STR: 3 - 6**

**VIT: 6**

**AGI: 4 - 5 **

**DEX: 4 - 5**

**MAG: 5**

**LUK: 3**

I actually felt kind of bad for all of that, but… oh well. It would be worthless to hoard points for later, if I could barely stay alive now.

And so, my killing of the zombies continued.

* * *

Well, that was very productive…and destructive. I broke three of my javelins and two of my spears, but I managed to kill almost thirty of those SOBs! The Xp gains were unbelievable for the first few kills, but once I reached a level higher than theirs, the Xp was reduced drastically. Still, fighting them net me another point to VIT and DEX each. Plus, both me and my skills leveled up a bunch of times.

Oh! My **Spears** skill reached level 10, and I got a perk!

**-Spartan I (1/5)**

**-Spears deal 5% more damage**

I assumed that all of my skills would do that, so it was another thing on the list of reasons why I was happy. And finally…

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Lv: 10 (350/1.000)**

**Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)**

**Gp: 20**

**Hp: 70/70 (+1.4 Hp/min)**

**Mp: 50/50 (+5 Mp/min)**

**STR: 6**

**VIT: 7**

**AGI: 5**

**DEX: 7**

**MAG: 5**

**LUK: 10**

**Stat points: 35**

"_OOOH MY! THAT'S A LOT OF POINTS!"_ I thought. I considered how to actually spread my points this time. On one hand, MAG wasn't really used right now. On the other hand, I really wanted to learn magic. On one hand, my fighting style was mostly physical. On the other, MAGIC!

So, I came to a mix of both. I chose to put one point in MAG for every level gained, keep around 10 points for later use. Everything else was fair game.

**Hp: 100/100 (+2 Hp/min)**

**Mp: 120/120 (+12 Mp/min)**

**STR: 6 - 12**

**VIT: 7 - 10**

**AGI: 5 - 10**

**DEX: 7 - 11**

**MAG: 5 - 12**

**LUK: 10**

**Stat points: 10**

Perfect. The power…was intoxicating. I was already looking much more athletic than I'd ever been before. And the magic…I could feel it coursing in my veins! It was amazing!

***ding***

**You MAG is over 10! Your magic core has been awakened!**

**Skill gained: Manipulation**

Bringing up **Manipulation**'s skill window, this is what I saw;

**Manipulation Lv: 1 (?/?)**

**One's ability to manipulate the mana within their body.**

What was up with those question marks? And… "_Manipulate the mana within me? Hold up, maybe I got it."_

I emulated Jee-Han once more, and tried to converge my mana into the palm of my left hand. Key word being 'tried', as I could only make it move a couple centimeters at best, before it snapped out of my control.

"_The fuck was that?! I can't control my mana?... wait. Maybe that's what the question marks mean. I can't start immediately controlling my mana, since I need to understand how to control it on my own first!"_

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (1-2)**

**+5 Xp**

"_That's the thing? That's what I needed to level it up? Understanding what I had to do?! You asshole! I'm the Gamer! You can't make me learn __things __like normal people!"_

With that little tantrum done, I took a deep breath and calmed down. That was the only skill I got that behaved like that, so maybe it would be the only one ever? I sure hope so.

Before all of that debacle, I'd escaped from the ID, in fear of the boss making an appearance. There was no way that I could fight a Legion Zombie, or whatever other boss this version of the Game concocted, in my current state. I was going to need a proper weapon, some armor, and much better stats.

So, there I was, making my way to the clearing that I started calling my new home. Albeit temporarily, of course. Once I got there, I went to the biggest tree I could find, and started climbing it. I did that both because I wanted to see my body's new limits, and because I was wondering if there was anything of interest in the area. Better be safe than sorry.

Five minutes later, I was sitting on a branch about twenty-five meters up from the ground. Scanning the surroundings revealed a surprising sight; there was a town in the distance.

"_Note to self: check out the town tomorrow."_

***ding***

**New quest- Ally scouter**

**Rank: D**

**Objective(s):**

**1)Reach the town and study it.**

**2)Avoid ?**

**3)Meet ? (+1.500 Xp, +100 Gp, ?)**

**Bonus:**

**-Befriend ? And ? (+300 Xp, 20 Gp, ×1 ? each)**

Well, I knew what I was going to do tomorrow.

*gurgle*

"_Oh, now I get hungry? After two days of running around, now I get hungry? Bah, at least I have something edible with me."_ While I ate some of my berries, I thought about the implications of that. _"It seems that I'm not immune to bodily needs yet, although they are very lowered. I've needed to eat only once in two days, after all."_

Once I was done with my meal, eating about half of my berries, I found a decently comfy spot between the branches, and went to sleep. Just because I didn't need it, didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it. Plus, old habits die hard.

* * *

**-****Day**** 2, ?, ?'s POV-**

"_What I wouldn't give to be a dragon. Or a cheetah. Hell, I'd even settle for a mole! At least I wouldn't have to listen to that idiot's orders. Let alone his stupid underlings."_

The sun was setting, but I knew it wouldn't matter much. Maybe a ten-minute break to eat something, and then we would be back to marching. Gods, did I hate that life.

"Alright, maggots! We're stopping for dinner! Be quick, we're leaving in ten minutes, there's a lot of ground to cover!" The commander barked out. As you probably guessed, I hated him too.

In all honesty, I thought that the whole operation was a suicide mission at best, and an awful idea at worst. If we died, at least Egul would be left with less soldiers, and a bunch of fleas. If it did succeed…he'd still be a fleabag, but he'd be a very powerful fleabag. And if he kept it up, he'd be surrounded by a bunch of powerful fleabags. An awful prospect, really.

I actually missed Khaara's reign. Of course, the old coot wasn't all there anymore, but he always had a good heart and thought about his people first. Egul, instead, was just a spoiled brat with an ego bigger than Malefor's mountain. The worst part was that he was an intelligent and cunning brat, too; he, along with some 'friends', and I use that term loosely, convinced the majority of the council that the Apes had a right to rule over everything, and developed a way to actually make it possible.

I feared for the precarious balance of the world, but most importantly I feared for my family. I didn't want them to get involved in that bullshit. My son was near to turning 16, meaning he could get conscripted into the army in times of war. And with that mission, war was a very real possibility.

Two days, and we'd get to that Canaan place. Two days, and a war would break out.

"_I feel sorry for that hatchling. I doubt it will survive the process."_

* * *

**And cut! So, how was it? Too slow? Too fast? Too long? Too short?**

**Too many questions? ****Maybe. But still, I want to see the favorites, follows and comments rise trough the roof!**

**Let's give this story something to be remembered by!**


	2. 1-2 Is this grinding?

**Second chapter is out! I have received a good amount of support at the beginning of the story, and I'll be answering to the questions I got in the reviews at the end. I'll try to keep it brief.**

**Edited by ShadowfireAngel**

* * *

**-****Day**** 3, ?, External POV-**

"Loki, are you sure about doing this? He is but a child, you must reconsider!"

Two figures could be seen, arguing. One lithe and garbed in green, being followed by a more imposing one, covered in armor and with a hammer at their waist.

"I am well aware of what I am doing, brother. I have given him the tools to reach incredible power, and he already is many times more powerful than he was at the beginning."

Loki's brother tried to reason with them, and make them see their point.

"He may have power, but all that is useless without discipline! He is naught but a boy, already with the power of a grown man! If he were to reach the level of his ancestor, he could annihilate anything…possibly even Nidhogg!"

Loki's face scrunched, remembering that cursed dragon. It had been a long time ago, but they remembered that fight like it had just ended. Any attack they'd sent at it just made it stronger, to the point only Odin and Frigg's intervention managed to seal away the monster within the roots of Yggdrasil.

And yet, the being was recovering. It was gnawing at the World Tree as they spoke. And yet…the monster was intelligent. Still, Loki was the trickster god for a reason. A plan formed in their mind, to get rid of both of their problems at once.

As they hashed out the details, a malicious grin formed on their face. "I believe I may have found a solution to both our problems, brother. I shall need your help, along with father and mother…and maybe also Heimdallr, but it should work."

* * *

**-Day 3, ****Clearing****, Daniel's POV-**

I woke up, and within a second all of the tiredness faded from my mind. It felt…alien, in a way. Yet, it was definitely helpful. Had I not woken up, I would have probably forgot I was on a tree in the first place.

Fall and pain avoided, I carefully made my way down.

I remembered the quest I gained yesterday evening, so I chose to complete it early in the morning. It was just a class D quest, no?

So, there I was, walking through the forest in the direction of the town. About five minutes in, a sound caught my attention. I hid under a tree's canopy just in time to not get spotted by whatever was causing the wingbeats. Once I heard the sound leave, I looked out, almost pissing myself at what I saw.

Dragons.

Motherfucking dragons.

Five of them, flying in a V formation, and garbed in armor. The latter indicated a presence of higher thought and civilization. They'd also come from the direction of the town…could that be a town inhabited by dragons?

Only one way to find out.

I set out again, closing down on the edge of the forest. A lush grassland extended around and beyond the town, with mountains in the distance. I'd already seen all of those before from my tree, but being so close was absolutely breathtaking.

I shook my head. I hadn't come to admire the scenery. I had a job to do! So, I glued my gaze back to the town…not that I could see much. There was a palisade all around. At least, I could see a couple of roofs, and the guards at the front. The roofs were made of stone at least, although, they looked very rustic. So, that said they had either a quarry or imports. Both indicated a circulating economy…and decent masonry, from what I could tell.

A good amount of dragons were flying around, mostly ones in armor like the ones I saw earlier, but there was the odd one out every now and then. The guards at the front gate were also dragons. At least they were close enough that I could see them distinctly.

Their armor was of good quality, at least in my opinion. I was a nerd, but a metalwork expert I wasn't. Still, it seemed good enough to offer a degree of protection, and I couldn't see any glaring flaws.

Hold up.

I smacked my forehead. Why observe them, when I could **Observe** them? Hopefully they weren't too powerful for me…

***ding***

**Target's level is too high to observe.**

"_Ah, dammit_._" _I got an idea. If I got a look at their armor, maybe I could glimpse a bit of their combat ability.

***ding***

**Steel chestplate: ****Dragon**** (Uncommon, medium)**

**Durability: 43/50**

**Protection: 15**

**A chestplate made of steel, made to fit an adult dragon. It is of decently good quality. It has seen a couple fights.**

"_Hmm…that's the first item I've seen that has a rarity higher than common. Then again, I don't know the full scale, so it might be either amazing, or nothing important. They don't have weapons, but I guess they don't really need them. I should go back, better be careful."_

With my analysis of the town complete, I headed back, making sure to not cause any noise.

* * *

**-****Five ****minutes ago, Canaan, Tundra's POV-**

"Come ooon! You promised!" groaned my sister.

I didn't bother looking up to answer. "I know that. I promised I'd play with you once I was done studying for the day. And as you can see—" I gestured to the pile of books next to me "—I'm not done yet."

Had I looked up, I would have noticed the mischievous grin on my sister's muzzle. But as it stands, the only thing I saw was the book that I was currently reading disappear in a second. I swiveled my head, and spotted Star standing outside my room, holding my book in her mouth.

"If yoo wanf if, cmend get if!" She taunted. We'd played that whole song and dance so many times that I understood her plan perfectly.

"Star, I won't follow you outside just because you stole one of my books." With that, I turned back to my pile- wait.

I turned to look back, and noticed just which book she was holding; it was the third volume to "Advanced elemental theory"! I couldn't continue anything without it!

Star must have seen the panic in my eyes, as she slowly was inching away, taunting me to take a step. I obliged.

I'll be the first to admit that I was slower than most dragons my age; staying inside to study most of the time would do that to you. But Star…she was on a while other level. Her speed was on par with dragons several years her seniors, to the point of outrunning even an adult! Well, Vulcan wasn't exactly built for speed, being a blacksmith and all, but the point still stands!

So it wasn't much of a surprise that she managed to evade all of my attempts as easily as breathing. Still, she managed to lead me all the way outside. Then to the gates.

As we passed by Mr. Sun, one of the guards posted there and Pyra's, one of our friends, father, noticed us. "Still getting manipulated by your sister, Tundra? Heh, just don't go too deep. The patrol is returning soon, and I'd rather your father finds you home when he's back. Else, he'd get mad at me again."

With a quick nod to Mr. Sun, I moved as fast as I could to catch up to Star. She might be fast enough to run away from danger, but she's just as fast at running towards it.

It took a lot of circling, backtracking and stops to catch my breath, but finally Star had enough of humiliating me, and we both stopped in a clearing we knew ever since she was a hatchling. It was a quaint little place, with a small river at the side and a good amount of open space. Star finally relented and let me take back my book…after cleaning it of her slobber.

So we relaxed, her sleeping on my side, and me studying up on some interesting elemental techniques. They might be way out of a teen's range, but what I lacked in the physical department, I more than made up for in smarts and raw magical ability.

***crack***

***thud***

A sudden sound made me snap to attention. I swiveled my head around, trying to see what could have caused the noise.

"Oh, fuck my life…" someone groaned from my left. I got up, and woke Star up.

I whispered to her "I heard someone close. I'll check it out. If it's dangerous, I'll try to stun it. Be ready to run."

Getting a nod from her, I moved quietly to the edge of the clearing, trying to not get spotted by whoever was there.

Now, I don't know what caused it; coincidence, dumb luck, the ancestors willed it, or whatever else. Fact is, the same moment I peeked out of the bush, the being on the other side decided to do the same, resulting in our faces being mere centimeters apart.

"Aaah!" We shouted, both jumping backwards away from each other.

As I recovered from the scare, I studied the being before me; it was biped, like a cheetah, and also had the physical build of one…albeit a bit shorter, and with differently jointed legs. Its face was flat, and it only had hair on the top of its head.

I assumed it was analyzing me too, as its eyes were stuck on me. I saw its eyes widen for a second, before they returned to how they were before. I was sure though…for a second there, I could see fear.

* * *

**-Day 3, ****Clearing****, Daniel's POV-**

***ding***

**Target's level is too high to observe.**

"_Fuck my life! This one should be around my age, if dragons age like humans, and you tell me he's over level 16?!"_

Yeah, I had leveled up **Divine** magic while I wandered back, taking the chance to gather some more grass, sticks and stones. Never enough ammo.

That still didn't change the fact that I had a dragon with a level much higher than mine watching me carefully, as if daring me to make a move.

"_Alright, think Daniel. He's much stronger than me. If I try to fight him, I'm dead. What to do, what to do…I got it__!__"_

I started crawling back slowly, picking up speed little by little. The dragon moved towards me, but I sprung to my feet and started running. I tried something, hoping that I didn't need to yell.

"_Create ID!"_

The magical drain was bigger than expected, probably because of the silent casting, but I did manage to escape into an ID.

"Dammit. That was too close. I really need to increase my stats, and learn to control my magic. Better get to it. At least, I'll have something to do while I wait for that dragon to leave."

With that, I set off. Pull-ups on the branches, running from tree to tree, and a whole load of other training.

It was nearing noon before I thought that it was quite enough. At the end, I'd gained 2 STR, 3 VIT, 1 DEX and 2 AGI. A decent gain, all in all. Next on the list, **Manipulation**. I really needed to understand how it worked.

For that reason, I decided to analyze one of the spells I already had, hoping that I could get anything from it. I sat down cross-legged, and tried to concentrate on the energy within me. It felt like currents of plasma through my entire body. I focused on the flow of my mana through my body, committing it to memory.

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (2– 3)**

I ignored the notification, and kept up my experimentation. At least, I knew I was going in the right direction. With my study of the basic flow done, I used **Observe **on a tree and tried to feel for any changes in my flow. I almost missed it, but the flow sped up in certain zones, while in others it slowed down, converging to my eyes for a split-second. I felt something leave me through my pupils, and the usual screen popped up.

***ding***

**Oak tree (common, plant)**

**Just a random plant like any other. You can make things out of it. 35 years old.**

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (3 – 4)**

So that was how spells worked. I had to converge the mana in a spot and eject it, but I couldn't do it all willy-nilly. I had to respect the mana's flow.

Armed with that knowledge, I tried to replicate the same effect, but this time on my own. I slowed down my mana, and made it rush to my eyes. The problem was that while the converging was successful, the effect wasn't what I desired.

***ding***

**Spell created: Torch eye (Novice, 1 Mp/sec)**

**Causes the caster's eyes to light up in the same color as their mana. Useful at night, but not really that much.**

I found a puddle nearby, and went to look at myself. My eyes were indeed glowing light blue, but other than that, it felt like nothing was different.

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (4 – 5)**

At least there was that. Although, I felt like I had hit a snag in my experimentation. Shrugging, I decided to do like any scientist when faced with a new concept; try stuff with it and see what works.

That resulted, a couple hours later, in creating multiple spells…some more useful that others. Most were variations of the **Torch** spell, which all became…

**Human torch (Novice, 1 Mp/sec/dm****2****)**

**Allows the caster to make certain parts of their body light up in the same color as their mana. Can be useful at night, if you don't mind being a literal beacon.**

Yeah, that one was useless. Fortunately, I realized that changing the speed at which my mana flowed would change the effect, along with my intent, of course.

**Power burst (Novice, 5 Mp/sec)**

**Mana converges into the muscles, forcing them to be faster, stronger, and tougher.**

**+15% STR, VIT, AGI**

**xXxXx**

**Overdrive (Novice, 10 Mp/sec)**

**Mana converges into the brain, making it work overtime.**

**+20% DEX**

With my Mp I could keep **Overdrive** up for about 12 seconds, **Power burst** for 25 seconds, and both up for 8 seconds before I was drained. At least, all the magic training increased my MAG by one, and **Manipulation** by another one. Seemingly not much, but all progress is good.

It was late in the afternoon by then, so I decided that I might as well go and kill an extra couple zombies. It should be easier with my bonuses, even if I could only use them for a couple of seconds at best in combat.

I moved a good distance away from the clearing, exited the ID and made a new one in record time.

So, after some zombies, I was halfway to level 13, and I found something.

***ding***

**Zombie dreadnaught (+50% Hp, +30% STR and VIT)**

**Hp: 140 (210/210)**

**Mp: N/A**

**STR: 12 (15.6)**

**VIT:14 (18.2)**

**AGI:8**

**DEX: 6**

**MAG: 0**

**LUK: 0**

**A revived knight. It wanders around, looking for a challenge. Boss rank: 3**

While I had no idea about the boss rank, I knew one thing; that fucker was strong, but slow. I was going to have to use that to my advantage. Fortunately, its armor was very rusty, so as long as I aimed correctly, I should have been able to deal at least some damage.

As it was habit at that point, I aimed as best as I could, trying to catch its nape. I would've gone for the head, but it was covered. With **Overdrive** on to boost my ranged damage, I threw the javelin, and I got lucky.

**Critical hit! 48 Damage!**

The javelin pierced through the nape, and embedded itself right in its neck. Wasting no time, I rushed in, ripped the now broken javelin out, and jammed my spear in.

**Critical hit! 74 Damage!**

And with that it was at less than 100 Hp. Great way to begin a surprise attack.

It wasn't meant to be, though, as it managed to turnaround and slam the blunt part of its halberd into my side.

**Lost 16 Hp!**

I bit back a hiss of pain. It wasn't much, at least. I shuddered to think what would happen if I got hit with the blade. I was forced to roll away from the dreadnaught when it tried to cleave me in half, and while it pulled its halberd out of the ground, I got up.

We circled each other carefully. It seems that it kept some sort of intelligence even after being dead. But not much, as it charged at me impatiently. **Overdrive** allowed me to jump close enough that the halberd would be downright useless, and brought out a new creation of mine.

**Stone knife (common, medium)**

**Durability: 19/25**

**DMG: 10**

**A stone knife made by Daniel Samuels. It can stab pretty deep.**

I jumped up, and stabbed the knife as deep as I could in the unprotected part of the neck, trying to reach the brain. Once again, I was lucky.

**Vital hit! 78 Damage!**

It was finally on the verge of death.

The dreadnaught stumbled backwards, and fell down. I took its halberd, sparing it an **Observe**.

***ding***

**Zombie halberd (rare, intricate)**

**Durability: 65/70**

**DMG: 20**

**A halberd wielded by a powerful knight. Its user became an undead, coating this weapon in its aura.**

**+10% damage to holy, life, and light-attuned beings.**

A strong weapon, definitely. I decided to keep it in case I met some enemies with those elements.

I turned back to the dreadnaught, and in one quick swing, I decapitated it.

**Mini-boss: Zombie dreadnaught Lv: 8 killed!**

**You gained 1.000 Xp, 160 Gp, Zombie halberd!**

**Daniel leveled up! (12 – 13) You gained 5 Stat points!**

One step closer to my goal. I also managed to gain some Gp. Nice. I wasn't entirely sure what they meant, though. Possibly money, but if so why did I only get any by killing bosses? Oh, and by quests too, I forgot.

No matter, it was time for me to leave the dungeon. The dreadnought was only a mini-boss, and I didn't want to know what the actual boss would be. Plus, it was sunset, so I hoped that the dragon would have left.

I went to the edge of the clearing, and hid up on the tallest tree, and once I was sure that I wouldn't be seen, I dropped the ID.

The dragon was still here, along with a yellow, smaller one. They seemed to be leaving. I took the chance, and tried to **Observe** them, as my level was higher, allowing me to **Observe** anyone up to level 19.

***ding***

**Tundra Polar - The ****Brain ****(+25% to MAG and Mp)  
Race: ****Dragon ****(+1 STR every 2 levels)  
Lv 19  
Hp 100/100  
Mp 250 (310/310)  
STR: 13 (22)  
VIT: 10  
AGI: 14  
DEX: 18  
MAG: 25 (31)  
LUK: 15**

**Age: 16**

**Tundra Polar is the older brother of Star Polar, his younger sister. He is a very serious and diligent dragon and is also very studious when it comes to his learning. He can almost always be found by the side of his sister, being extremely protective of her as he strives to become the best at the magical arts.**

**xXxXx**

**Star Polar - The ****Brawn ****(+25% to AGI, DEX and Hp)  
Race: ****Dragon ****(+1 STR every 2 levels)  
Lv 17  
Hp 100/100  
Mp 170/170  
STR: 9 (17)  
VIT: 10  
AGI: 16 (20)  
DEX: 19 (24)  
MAG: 17  
LUK: 14**

**Age: 13**

**Star Polar, the younger sister of Tundra Polar, is a stubborn dragoness, but is equally fun-loving due to her extroverted nature. She loves to tease and distract her brother from his studies whenever she has the chance but will always let him get back to them. Eventually. She does this out of the love she has for him, wishing him to always be happy. **

Well, I was just right on the limit, it seemed. They were both younger than me, too. Well, Tundra by one year, but still. Fucking dragons, I swear. Powerhouses, the lot of them. Also, my **Divine** skill gained more Xp if I **Observed** higher level beings, meaning that with those two it got kicked from level 6 straight into 8, almost 9. That was a cap of 21, right there. Useful as fuck.

Nonetheless, once they left, a new screen popped up in front of me.

**Quest complete!**

**Ally scouter  
Rank: D  
Objective(s):  
-Reach the town and study it. [OK]  
-Avoid the patrol [OK]  
-Meet Tundra (+1.500 Xp, +100 Gp, +2 Skill token) [OK]  
Bonus:  
-Befriend ****Tundra and**** Star (+300 Xp, 20 Gp, +5 Skill token each) [FAIL]**

**xXxXx**

**Gained: 1.500 Xp, 100 Gp, +2 Skill token.**

**Daniel leveled up! (13 – 14) You gained 5 Stat points!**

And here came another level. But what was the skill token?

**+2 Skill token (N/A, N/A)**

**Use the token on a skill to increase its level by 2.**

"_Oh, so basically a rare candy for skills. Cool. Should I..? Maybe it's best to keep it…"_

I debated with myself for a while, but finally, I just decided to use it on the one skill that I couldn't level up by normal means. I had a feeling that I would get a lot of those, anyway.

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (6 – 8)**

The knowledge flew into my head, and I immediately understood why I couldn't expel mana out of my body easily; it was the way that I collected it. You see, when using a spell like **Observe**, the mana is condensed into a very small point before being released, allowing it to reach its intended target without dispersing. I, on the other hand, was keeping my mana diluted, causing it to evaporate almost instantly.

With this new knowledge, I tried to create an offensive spell. First, converge the mana. Then, compress it. Aim. Now, release.

A small sphere of mana left my hand, hitting the ground under me. It caused a small, smoking indent, but it wasn't enough.

**Spell created: Mana blast (Novice, 10 Mp)**

**A small sphere of concentrated mana hits the target, causing a small amount of damage.**

**DMG: (MAG/2)+Manipulation**

So, a damage of either 14 or 15, depending on how the system rounded things up. Again, fucking weak. Still, I was too weak to use even that spell along with my boosts. I needed to train, and hard. Either until I had enough Mp for all of those, or until I was so powerful I didn't need the boosts anymore.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for a night of training.

* * *

**-Day 4, ****Clearing****, Daniel's POV-**

"98… 99… 100!" I grunted out, and let myself fall from the branch I was hanging on to.

"Ooof!" Maybe just letting go wasn't the best choice, considering that I fell on my ass.

***ding***

**Due to your insane training, you gained 1 STR!**

Another one done. During the whole night, I trained like an absolute madman. Along with the point I just got, I managed to obtain 4 STR, 5 VIT, 3 AGI, 4 DEX and 3 MAG. Running from one tree to another helps a lot with co-ordination, plus I discovered that in order to increase MAG I just had to drain my reserves over and over. Probably because it conditioned whatever made my mana to make more due to the constant stress. Like muscles, really.

I had taken to keep **Overdrive **on for as much as possible, to continuously burn trough my Mp. I'd also tried to create some new spells, but my ability with mana wasn't yet enough to actively influence the world around me. In other words, no elemental magic for me just yet.

After all that training I was left bored out of my mind, trying to decide on what to do next. The best choice would be to do some skill training. My weapons were kinda lagging behind.

And back to it I went, doing my best to bring up both **Unarmed** and **Halberd** up to 10 at least. **Javelins** had become obsolete with the possibility to use magic at a distance. Plus, I dealt much better damage up close.

"_Zombies, here I come again!"_

So…it didn't go as expected. I was a bit too strong, so the zombies now crumbled after one or two good hits. That meant that I couldn't grind as much as I wanted. At least now I was at level 15. My **Unarmed** was at level 5, and **Halberd** was at 4… I needed better opponents.

Cue the ID grinding.

Finally, around noon, I managed to get my **Divine** to level 10, netting me a new ID! The 'Ape' ID. I wasn't really sure about it, but I felt like I should at least try it out.

In this one, the sky was normal, except for the abnormal amount of dark green clouds. Yep, same old, same old. Thus, I set out to see what exactly those 'apes' were. I managed to find one quite easily.

***ding***

**Ape infantry (+10% STR, +15% AGI, +15% DEX)**

**Lv: 10**

**Hp: 120/120**

**Mp: 20/20**

**STR: 10 (11)**

**VIT: 12**

**AGI: 14 (16,1)**

**DEX: 11 (12,6)**

**MAG: 2**

**LUK: 1**

**A random ape soldier. Uses a sword. Kinda dumb.**

I decided on my game plan immediately; throw a spear at it, and when it's distracted turn it into a paste.

"_Well, that was easy. It was down with one good whack. Then again, I did split its head apart with my halberd. Am I getting too strong? Nah, there's much stronger beings out there."_

Then, with one extra level under my belt, I went around, killing more apes. _"By this pace, I'll be done with this quest within the day!"_

* * *

I'd found some different apes, like lancers and archers. Even one shaman. All the same level, though.

Those things made my level skyrocket again. I reached level 18 after just seven of those things. Unfortunately, the shaman managed to rough me up a bit, before I dispatched him. The good thing, though, is that I got something off of him too!

**Voodoo cloak (rare, intricate)**

**Durability: 50/50**

**A cloak lined with powdered bones. It hides the user's face, and increases their affinity for the dark arts.**

**+15% DMG to Dark, Shadow and Death elemental spells.**

While the effects were nothing short of edgy, I couldn't deny its usefulness. That thing allowed me to finally hide myself! Well, maybe people wouldn't take too kindly to the cloak itself, but at least it allowed me to not be pestered about my species.

I was about to jump back in and go commit genocide of more apes, but…things sometimes take an unexpected development.

Case in point, I heard yelling, demented laughter, and the sounds of a fight coming from the direction of the usual clearing. Why was stuff always going down over there? I didn't know. Still, I moved as fast as I could to see who deserved some ass-kicking, and found myself staring at a most concerning sight.

Tundra, Star, and another little dragon, who my **Observe** identified as Pyra were surrounded by a small group of apes. They numbered eight in total, with their levels varying between 9 to 12, with the leader at 14.

Tundra was doing all he could, spraying frost and ice spikes left, right and center, but most often than not his shots either were avoided or too weak to do anything. He was running low on Mp, so that was most definitely the reason. He had also a cut on his shoulder, and multiple bruises. Star and Pyra had less, but were obviously in pain.

The leader of the apes stepped forward. "You're too tired to do anything, dragon. Why don't you just give up? Someone with your talents would be useful to us. We only need the red one, but I'm sure we can also use the yellow one for something…" The tone in which the finished his line was accompanied by the other ape's demented laughter. Well, all except one.

**Zilan Astaroth – The outlier (increased REP with 'Good'-aligned beings, lower REP with 'Evil'-aligned beings)**

**Race: Ape (+1 DEX/AGI every 2 levels)**

**Lv: 11**

**Hp: 135/140**

**Mp: 30/30 (locked)**

**STR: 13**

**VIT: 14**

**AGI: 11 (16)**

**DEX: 10 (15)**

**MAG: 3**

**LUK: 4**

**Age: 39**

**Zilan appears to have never really cared for fighting or the orders he carries out in any way, the latter of which he seems to have a burning hatred for. He only fights because he must in order to safeguard those closest to him. They are all he ever cares about and has no plans on letting that change any time soon. Unlike most apes, he is rather patient and logical, however, he retains the typical streak of rudeness most apes have, mostly if he doesn't like you.**

"_Wow, laying it thick, ain't cha game?"_ That guy was just someone looking out for his family. I could respect that. The others instead… they could perish.

I didn't bother listening to Tundra's response, as I had sprung into action already. I shot a **Mana ****Blast** into the weakest one's back. It didn't really do much damage, but it brought him low enough for me to jam a spear into another Ape's eye. It died instantly.

I turned around, and sidestepped a downward slash. I slammed the blunt end of my spear into the ape's face, and kicked at its kneecap with all my power. It burst completely, bending it unnaturally.

Six left. Tundra took the chance, and tore another ape's neck open, leaving it to drown in its own blood.

Five. I kicked one in the nards, took out my halberd, and spun, beheading another.

Four. Star threw out a lightning bolt to the one who's leg I busted, whom was trying to stab me in the back. It didn't get up.

Tundra managed to get the drop on another ape, slamming into its back and breaking it with his weight. I could hear the crunching bones.

Zilan had moved away from the fighting, thankfully. I didn't have to kill him. Plus, I could get some answers out of him.

I threw more **Mana ****Blasts** to distract the apes, and I moved in. Just as I was about to get to them, a torrent of fire appeared and burned one of the two apes to a crisp. The leader was just about dead too, so I did what I do best and stabbed him in the throat.

I turned to the three dragons, worried. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have gotten anymore wounds. They were all scared, Pyra was shell-shocked, but they were physically fine. I moved to them.

"Are you all in good enough condition to walk?" _"Way to sound like a nice person, dumbass."_

Tundra shook his head, doing his best to not look at the corpses that littered the place. "Yeah, I think so. Might have to carry Pyra for a bit, but we're relatively fine. You really saved us back there. Thanks."

I nodded. "You're welcome. Now you need to move. Get to safety. One of them managed to leave. I'll follow it." With that, I left in the direction where I'd seen Zilan leaving.

***ding***

**Three enemies were killed! You gained 1.500 Xp!**

**Daniel leveled up! (18 – 19) You gained 5 Stat points!**

One more level and I also get my answers from Loki. But for now…

My minimap could also put a marker on people, as long as I had **Observed** them. Or maybe it was just people who I met? The line was kinda blurry. Still, no matter. I managed to reach Zilan, and jumped right into his path.

He stumbled back, obviously scared shitless. I did nothing for a few seconds, allowing him to calm down.

"What are you waiting for? We both know what you're here for. Just be quick about it."

I allowed myself a humored smile. Not like he could see it. "No, you're wrong. I'm not here to kill you. You see, Zilan, I can learn a lot from others by just a look. You weren't in that group because you wanted to, were you?" He shook his head. "Of course. You see, I want some answers from you. You just have to tell me who told you to attack a bunch of children, and why they'd have you do that. If you comply, I will let you go."

He stayed silent for a while, but in the end relented. "Bah, what do I have to lose. If you can stop that idiot, then good. Even if you kill me. If you're honest…might as well." He sat up straighter, and I went down as well. "Here's the thing; our new king, Egul, managed to find a way to extract a dragon's magical core, and add it to someone else's. He has been targeting younger dragons since their cores are more pliable, or something. I'm not an expert. What I can tell you is that his goal is to get a whole army of magical apes to destroy the dragons, and eventually rule everything."

I mulled over his words. "That is definitely cause for concern. Pray tell, what would happen to a dragon subjected to this treatment?"

He grimaced. "The weaker ones will die, no questions asked. Some, though… the stronger, more resilient ones manage to hold onto their life, but they're basically cripples. They have very low energy, their scales turn grey, and they start deteriorating quickly. The longest a dragon managed to survive without his core was a bit less than a month. And it was agonizing, I can tell you. I saw that poor sod every day, and you could just feel the aura of suffering around him. Really, a quick death is the best choice here."

I grit my teeth at the sheer cruelty. How could someone condemn a child to death to satisfy their own delusions of grandeur?!

"How many?"

"Wha—"

"HOW MANY CHILDREN DID YOU BASTARDS KILL?!"

He was taken aback by my outburst, but answered nonetheless. "A-Around a dozen!"

I was seething, but **Gamer's ****Mind** wouldn't allow me to lose myself in my rage.

"But, if I may say something—" I nodded slowly, not trusting my voice. "—I believe that you shouldn't be getting angry at me, but the direct responsible. As in, Egul. Also, I suggest telling the dragons what I told you. If you're so adamant about this, that would be your best bet to stop it. _At least this way it'd be over soon."_

I almost didn't catch the last part, as he had whispered it.

"I could do as you say, that is true. But I have an additional idea." I remembered the message Loki had sent me, and I tried to emulate it. Thankfully, the 'help' screen was actually helpful, and I found out how to send messages to others, as long as I knew their names.

***ding***

**From: Anonymous**

**To: Zilan Astaroth**

**What do you say about doing some spy work? Just warn me of whatever info you can find, troop movements, ****etcetera****. This method should be untraceable.**

Zilan looked at the screen, astonished. He then looked back to me. Then back to the screen. He tried swiping it away, and it disappeared.

"So? Are you up to this?"

He gave me a skeptical look. "And why should I be 'up to this'? What reason would I have to agree to this?"

I grinned. "First, you'd be able to help stop the impeding war before too many innocents die. Secondly, you'd help get rid of that sorry excuse of a king. I can tell that you don't like him. Thirdly, if the war is stopped early, less people will suffer, including whatever family or loved ones you have."

He carefully processed my proposal. "So be it. You do raise some good points."

With that, we got up and shook hands.

"I'd personally prefer if you tell your superiors that you were wiped out by an actual ambush, rather than one random bloke and three children."

He grimaced again, thinking back to how easily we had destroyed them, most likely. "Yeah, I should do that. How do I even use that weird spell?"

"Oh, it's pretty simple. Just think 'mail' with the intent of contacting me. It will do all the work as it's already attached to you. If you want to read again something I sent you, just think 'mail log'. Alright—" I patted his back "—get out before we're found."

With that, I left him, headed towards the dragon town. I had had quite enough of living in a forest.

* * *

**And that's the end of this chapter! I'm kinda iffy of how the end turned out, but I'll take what I can get. As you can tell, I sped things up a bit, as without Sora and John (the former will be coming, don't worry. Like chapter 4/5), the chapters are cut off by a lot, and I wanted to introduce Zilan earlier.**

**Now, onto the reviews!**

**Guest: We'll have magic alright, but I'll try to give Daniel other ways to fight. He can become anything with this power, after all.**

**AscendedHumanity: I know that it's a bit of a mistake, but in that moment Daniel was desperate to guarantee himself a way to survive. Not like he's planning to stick for the long run… or not?**

**Spyro fanboy: As you see, cannon fodder doesn't give anything, but bosses and quests give Gp. And yes, the cloak is useful.**

**The Silent Insomniac: Hah! Lv 20 is literally nothing compared to the things we'll see! That's only what a HUMAN can get to at their best! You'll see what I mean in the next chapter. And also something else I put in because I liked the idea.**

**Alpha23: No. Just… no. No. Maybe some romance will arrive, but it sure as well won't be with non-humanlike beings. It's too weird for both Daniel and I.**

**Harrypotterette: Wait until next chapter. Or you can piece it together. It's not really much of a question.**

**With this, I thank for the reviews I didn't answer directly, and bid you farewell until two weeks from now again!**

**Xeno out!**


	3. 1-3 The city life of a- demon?

**Chapter three is here, in all its splendour! I don't have much to say here, so I'll leave the stage to my dear friend Shadow!**

**Hey all, ShadowfireAngel just slipping in real quick here. This chapter is probably a little later than normal (I think? Not entirely sure) but that mostly due to things on my end. Been going through a bit of a rough patch this week and a bit so I apologise for not getting this chapter to Xeno sooner, thereby getting it to you all sooner.**

* * *

**-A few minutes before, Tundra's POV-**

The being nodded. "You're welcome. Now you need to move. Get to safety. One of them managed to leave. I'll follow it." And as quickly as he arrived, he also left.

I turned to my sister and her friend. _"Why did I let them convince me to accompany them? If I'd been more forceful, they wouldn't have had to go __through __this. Why does this world have to be so cruel to children?"_

"Come on. We need to get back to Canaan." I nudged Pyra, who was still immobile. She started moving, but her eyes were still dull. I could understand, she had been quite sheltered. Star was in a similar state, but managed to pull through enough to start speaking coherently.

"W-what just happened?"

I sighed. Really? One of the worst possible questions. "I wish I could answer. We can just hope that the adults figure it out. Plus, we're all too tired to think straight. Let's go home and rest."

I was limping a bit, but managed to cover it up well enough. At least I think so. They might have just been too tired and in pain to notice it. Not that I blamed them. Your first kill is…scarring. And it never gets easier. At least that kind of pain shows that you're a good person.

After a while, we reached Canaan, where the guards at the gate immediately took notice of us.

"What happened to you three?"

"Apes. Eight of them. They surrounded us. They wanted Pyra, for…something, I have no idea what. Something else joined the fray. I don't know exactly what he was, but it killed a couple of them… we all killed at least one. The last managed to escape, but whatever that creature was, he told us to get to safety. He'd catch up to the ape and kill it. I hope that he managed that." While I talked, I brought the two girls into the town proper, settling near the wall.

The guard, an earth dragon, narrowed his eyes. "And this being…could it be the same one you saw yesterday?"

I thought back to yesterday. That being I saw was scared, and weak. Nothing like the one we saw today. Plus, it was taller and beefier than the one from yesterday. "I don't think they're the same one. Same species, maybe. But definitely not the same individual. They were too different from each other. Although, I could be wrong. Its cloak wouldn't let me see its face."

He grunted. "Hn. Nothing that we can do about it, I suppose. I'll see if we can organize a more in-depth patrol later, we'll see if there are any other apes, as well as keeping an eye out for this being. Now then—" He was interrupted from the other guard, who was also the only wind dragon in the town, Arashi. He says that his name means 'storm' in his homeland, but I'm a bit skeptical. That sounded a bit more like an electric dragon's name.

Stuck as I was in my thoughts, I didn't notice what Arashi said exactly, but I immediately recognized the voice that answered.

"Dude, chill. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk to whoever's in charge for a bit…and maybe also check up on those unlucky sods that ended up almost caught by the apes. Y'know them? A blue guy, yeah high, and two smaller ones, yellow and red?"

I peeked out of the gate, and spotted immediately the mysterious being. His hood was still up, but I could get a good glimpse of his clothes, and surprisingly enough, they were exactly the same as the one I saw yesterday. Suspicious. Maybe his kind had the ability to get strong very quickly? In that case, he could become a serious threat, very quickly.

I wasn't fast enough to move back, as he managed to spot me.

"Oh, there you are. Did you three manage to get back here safely?"

The change in his tone of voice was immediate: his laid-back attitude gave way to concern and attention.

"Yeah, we didn't have any problems. I'll need some spirit gems, but I'll be fine. The others…" I turned back quickly to Star and Pyra. Pyra was asleep, probably because of the stress. Star was laying between Pyra and the wall, still unresponsive. "…They could be much better. I doubt they'll fully recover from this anytime soon, if ever. Physically the most of it is bruises, but their minds…"

"I get it. It's not easy. Was that not your first fight too? You're taking this surprisingly well."

I scoffed. "It was my first real fight, but I did have some experience with spars and whatnot. Plus, I need to be strong. If not for myself, then for them. I'll have my breakdown later."

"Well, I doubt they're gonna let me in anytime soon, so keep an eye on them on my behalf okay? I'm honestly sorry that they had to witness such brutality."

I gave him a nod, and left. While I was walking home with Star, a guard returned Pyra to her own home.

* * *

**-Day 4, Canaan's gate, Daniel's POV-**

"So, let me get this straight; I, a _guard_ of this town, should be leaving you here, unattended, in front of an open gate to our town, just because you want to talk with our leader? Do you take me for an idiot?"

I tsked. "Well, you could just bring me with you."

The white dragon guarding the gate deadpanned. "Right, let me bring in a completely unknown creature and bring him to the elder. It's not like over a million things could go wrong!"

I tried my best at keeping my remarks at bay, considering that I couldn't **Observe** him. In other words, his level was at least 33. Not a nice matchup.

"Look, why don't you just call someone and send them to look for your 'elder' or whatever? I have some very important things to tell him, or her. Like, lots-of-people-can-die important."

He was quiet for a while, but finally relented after some thought.

"Oi! Gaia!" He shouted, and from the top of the wall another dragon peeked out. Leaf-green scales, golden horns, and definitely female. The differences from one gender to another are almost the same between dragons as they are between humans.

The dragoness shouted down at us. "Yeah, Arashi, whaddaya need?"

I sweatdropped. Was that how guards acted on the clock?

"Can you go get the captain? I've got a situation here, and it's way above my pay grade!"

Gaia did a half-hearted salute, and flew away.

After around five minutes of awkward waiting, Gaia came back, along with another dragon. This one was the same shade of cyan as Tundra, also he was much beefier and taller than any other dragon I'd seen yet. Normal dragons came up to around 9 feet, so 1 and ½ of me. Thus guy was almost twice my height, at 11 feet.

I didn't even need to try. I knew that his level was going to be enormous compared to mine. I felt downright insignificant compared to him. **Gamer's ****Mind** allowed me to keep a calm exterior, but without it I'd have probably pissed my pants. I definitely wasn't shaking in terror, no sir!

Still, I'll be damned if I wasn't about to do that when he stared down at me suspiciously.

"I was told you have some information for us. Out with it." I was about to talk, when he interrupted me. "I know you asked to speak with the elder, but whatever you need tell her, you can tell me."

With a nod and a deep breath, I begun. I explained the ape ambush, me happening upon it and helping out. I told him that the last ape managed to run, but I caught it ant got some info out of it before killing it.

"And what info did you get?" He asked.

"In short, the apes have been targeting young dragons at the order of their king. They've developed some way to extract the mana from a dragon and to implant it into another, thus they plan to make an army of magic-flinging apes, at the same time weakening you. The worst part is that _almost _all who undergo the extraction will die. Around a dozen dragons have died already."

He frowned, but didn't shift his attention away from me. "That is indeed troubling. I'll make sure that this piece of information reaches all who need to know." He nodded to me. "Thank you for telling me."

With that, he was about to leave, when I stopped him.

"Excuse me a second!" He turned to me. "I had a question, if you'd listen to me…" He faced me fully now.

Well, now or never.

"I was wondering if it were possible for me to live in this town."

He blinked. "What."

"I know it's a lot of me to ask, but I've been living in the forest for a long while now, and I really would like to have a roof over my head after so long! Also, a chance to get food that doesn't involve me getting hurt would be nice." I shuddered, thinking back to my second day. After my zombie grinding, I found a new berry bush, but I disturbed a bear from its sleep. I got an extra VIT and AGI from the run.

All the dragons stared at me in confusion. After a minute or so, the captain snorted. "I'll see what I can do."

Now it was our turn to gawk at him. He gave us all an annoyed glare and left, yelling to the two guards. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Keep an eye on him."

* * *

I sat under a tree, making as many knots as I could remember with a long grass rope that I had in advance. Gaia was sitting a couple feet to my left, observing my hands as they worked the rope. I pushed myself to go faster and faster, getting a DEX point in it.

Once I felt the heavy steps coming closer, I put the rope away, pretending to put it in my cloak, when I was just placing it in my inventory. At least I could access it with a thought, instead of physically putting them inside the screen.

I looked up, and there was Captain Frost. Gaia had told me. She's a chill gal. I like her.

"You can stay, but there are some rules that you must follow. First, you cannot go outside alone. Secondly, you will be living with someone else, so that we can keep an eye on you also at night. And finally, you will abide by our laws, and will be held accountable if you break them. Understood?"

I half expected to see a yes/no screen pop-up, but of course the game only affects me.

"I get it. And I'm very grateful for this chance."

Captain Frost turned to Arashi. "You had an extra room at your place, didn't you?"

Arashi was completely blindsided by the question, but managed to sputter out something similar to a question. "Me?" He screeched, his voice raising an octave or two.

"It's simple, really. You're the guard that has more experience with him—" He turned to me "—I don't know your name."

"Daniel." No point in lying about that.

"Yeah, you have the most experience dealing with Daniel, and you know very well that both Gaia and I have no room to spare."

Arashi tried to argue, but any argument he could come up with died immediately. In the end he sighed. "I still need to ask, sir. Why are you going to these lengths for him? You've known him for only around an hour."

I gave an inquisitive glance to the captain too. Really, he could have just spared himself the trouble, and said no.

"I hate owing anyone anything. And I owe to you the life of my kids." With that bomb dropped, he left quickly, not bothering to look back.

Well, I had my suspicions, remembering Tundra's bio and all. Still, I didn't expect that Tundra's father was going to be the dragon Hulk!

* * *

**-****D****ay 4, Arashi's ****H****ouse, ****L****unchtime-**

"I hope you realize that I'm not doing this willingly."

"Uh-uh."

"And that I'm not your friend, and that I am authorized to kill you if you do something suspicious."

"Uh-uh."

"Then act like it!"

I swallowed.

"Dude, I don't know what you want me to do or say, but right now I'm enjoying this lunch that you oh-so-gently offered me, when I haven't eaten anything in the last two days ago. So please, if you have complaints, wait until I'm done."

I dug into my meat again.

I cleaned my mouth, and turned to my host. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Arashi shook his head, dejected. "Don't bother. It doesn't really matter anyway. C'mon, I'll show you your room."

We moved upstairs, and reached the end of the hall. On the left was a door, which brought to my room. It was kind of empty, except for a large carpet in one corner, with a pile of cushions on it. As I saw no bed, and considering the size of an adult dragon, I assumed that I was supposed to sleep on that. Better than a tree.

There was a table at the opposite side of the room, with another carpet where normally would be a chair. _"Guess I'm gonna have to make one for myself if I want one. Or maybe not… the cat-people are around my size, so maybe they use chairs. Or maybe they just have very low tables? Whatever."_

There were some empty shelves, but other than that, the room was barren. There was also a window, but it was closed.

"Enjoy."

Arashi walked back to another room, closer to the stairs, and entered it. Probably his own room.

I entered, closed the door, and started planning. _"Alright, I have a place to stay. That's nice. At least I don't have to be in the forest anymore. Well, there was a boon to that, since I could just grind day and night and no one would bother me. Now… well, I have a chance to do so now. Just a couple apes, then I can finish this quest, see what __the whole story is__, and hopefully go home."_

I opened the ape ID, left the room, and went on to kill some apes.

* * *

***ding***

**Daniel ****levelled**** up! (19 – 20) You gained 5 Stat points! You have reached the level cap for the race: Human.**

***ding***

**Well, who would have thought? You managed in just four days! I expected you to flub around a bit more, but what can you do?**

**Get to sleep, and we'll talk then.**

**-Loki**

I felt a gigantic grin appear on my face. I did it!

Cackling like a maniac I returned to my room, where I dropped the ID. No one was around to see it, thankfully. I lied down on the pile of cushions, forcing myself to fall asleep. **Gamer's ****Mind** allowed me to fall into a deep sleep almost immediately.

Once my eyes opened, I found myself in the same void where this stupid mess started. Sitting at the same stupid table and in front of me was Loki's infuriating little smirk.

I slammed my hands on the desk. "Alright, I did my part of the deal. Now you do yours. What the hell do you want me to do?"

Loki clicked their tongue. "Impatient kid. Alright, you actually are pretty close, but the problem isn't Hell. It's one of the Netherworlds." He continued, uncaring of my growing confusion. "In short, your ancestor, a demon called Machrosias, was the king of his Netherworld. It was all fine and dandy, he was actually a cool guy. Then God came, and evicted his ass to Earth because of a drunken boast your many-times-great-grandpa did a while before.

"So, your job is to get back to this Netherworld and take your rightful place to the throne. Simple, no?"

I sat gawking at Loki. They just dropped that many bombs one after the other that I felt like a nuclear bomb testing site. It took me a while, but I managed to find my voice again.

"Me? A demon? And a king, to boot? I ain't no king! I'm not a leader! I'm the absolute opposite of a leader!" I somehow got up, and started pacing on the non-existent floor. "And how do you expect me to take a throne? I don't know shit about politics, and this 'help' you've given me is more for combat than politicking! And—"

I was interrupted by a finger on my lips.

"Don't you worry, kid. In the Netherworld, might makes right. As long as you're strong, you'll be good to go. And for the whole leader thing? Ol' Machrosias said the exact same thing back in the day."

Loki removed their finger from my face, and I found myself at an impasse again. On one hand, they had some decent points on their side. On the other hand…

"I can't just give up my family like that. If I become king, will I ever be able to see them again? I only really listened to you at first because I thought that I could be done with that thing you wanted and then go home, but if that is what you're asking… I don't know if I can. And even then—" I started pacing again "—I don't want to risk my future son because I turned you down, so I have no idea on what to do."

Loki laughed a bit when I was done. This once, it was an actual mirthful laugh. "If that was the problem, all you had to do was ask! Here—" They handed me a copy of my phone. I turned it on, and it had all of my things on it. "—I tampered a bit with your device. You should be able to contact your parents even if in another dimension. Of course, not just them, but any number you have on this thing. And for seeing them… all demon kings have a personal dimensional gate. When you get one, I'll give you the coordinates to your home."

I was left once again speechless. This god really knew how to convince me.

"If you were a bit more feminine, I'd kiss you right about now."

I was sarcastic, but it didn't stop Loki from changing into a woman. And I have to admit, she was damn gorgeous. She spread her arms, as if asking 'Well?'. I didn't disappoint her.

I have to admit that I didn't expect to give my first actual kiss to a goddess of all people, but damn! Did I enjoy it! I really had no words to describe it back then, nor do I have them now. It's something you have to experience.** (Not because I don't know what it's like, no sirre!)**

She actually decided to humor me for a bit, but then pushed me away.

"Sorry kid, you're not old enough for this ride. Hope you enjoyed what you could get away with, though." She winked at me. "Maybe come back when you're another couple centuries older, ok?"

I struggled to get my stupid grin under control, but in the end, I just gave up and let it be.

"Yeah, sure thing."

Loki chuckled a bit at my reaction, and shooed me. "Come on, time for you to get up! You have a lot more grinding to do now, since your demon blood woke up too!"

* * *

I was back in the waking world, and what greeted me?

***ding***

**A perk has been updated!**

**Demon blood**

**Your demon blood flows strong.**

**-100 REP to all angels aware of this perk.**

**-+100 REP to all demons aware of this perk.**

**-Grants title 'Heir to the Netherworld'**

***ding***

**Race updated! (Human – Lesser demon)**

***ding***

**Quest complete!**

**This is what peak performance looks like!  
Rank: C  
Objectives;  
-Reach level 20 [OK]  
-Get answers out of Loki (+3.750 Xp, +250 Gp) [OK]  
Bonus:  
-Complete the quest within a week (+1.000 Xp, + 100 Gp) [OK]  
-Compete the quest within a month (+500 Xp, +50 Gp) [OK]**

**xXxXx**

**Gained: +5.250 Xp, +400 Gp**

**Shop unlocked!**

***ding***

**Daniel ****levelled**** up! (20 -22) You gained 10 Stat points!**

**Daniel Samuels - The Gamer  
Lv: 22 (Xp: 1.395/2.200)  
Race: Lesser demon (+1 MAG, +1 STR every level)  
Gp:690  
Hp: [190/190] reg: 3.8 hp/min  
Mp: [180/180] reg: 18 mp/min  
STR: 21  
VIT: 19  
AGI: 15  
DEX: 17  
MAG: 18  
LUK: 20  
Points: 70**

"_Is… is that it? Finally! Whoever came up with the idea of info-bombing me like this can go suck a dick!"_

***ding***

**Gifts received!**

**Sender: Loki**

**×1 ****N****ote**

**×1 Book: 'Thaumaturgy for ****D****ummies'**

I closed all the other windows, and opened my inventory. From there, I pulled out the note.

_Sorry, but I forgot to give you this. You will need all you can in your arsenal, so I felt that you could learn something useful from this. While it is a skill book, you can't just absorb the knowledge. While for small books the worst would be a headache, learning something __this __complex would be like splitting your skull __open__ and forcing the actual book there. So, good old-fashioned learning it is for you! Oh, and I wanted to mention this: remember your 'Manipulation' skill? All theoretical skills work the same way. As in, they'll level up only when you learn something new about them._

_Alright, get reading! It's good for you!_

"Oh, for the love of—" I shook my head, knowing that it would be useless to argue with a god like Loki.

I decide to suck it up, and start reading.

***ding***

**New quest: On becoming a mage (1/?)**

**Rank: F**

**Objectives:**

**-Read the book 'Thaumaturgy for ****D****ummies' (+100 Xp, Skill branch: Thaumaturgy)**

**Bonus:**

**-Follow the book's instructions (0/6) (?,?,?,?,?,?)**

"_What the hell is it with all those question marks? Well… Last time is was a skill token, but it could be anything right now. Only one way to know."_

I pulled up the book again and started reading.

"_How in the ever-loving fuck will I ever do all of this shit?! The reward better be damn good."_

Really, how could I get those 'vis crystals'? Then, a flash of memory hit me. One of the pop-ups I'd closed before said something about a 'shop'. Could that be my salvation?

"_Shop"_

A new window popped up, but before I could see anything yet another one appeared to cover it.

***ding***

**Welcome to the shop! Here you can buy and sell things into the multiverse, and no one will know that it's you! Great, right? Here's something to help you start buying what you need!**

**Gained: +100 Gp**

I blinked. That was actually incredibly useful! _"Sometimes things just go your way, huh? Thanks, 20 LUK!"_

"… _Maybe I should keep increasing it."_

I popped two points into LUK for safety reasons. It was just a point for every level, so why not?

Finally, I got a good look at the shop. It had three choices for me: buy, sell, and daily special. I opened the last one out of curiosity, and found myself floored.

"Who's the fool that is selling Scorpion's swords?!"

They were even 30% off! Still, it came up to 2800 Gp compared to the base price of 4K, but seriously?!

I closed the window. I wasn't even nearly powerful or wealthy enough to get that.

Opening the 'buy' option, I used the search bar on the top to find any vis crystals. They were surprisingly cheap, with a 10-crystal pack of one certain element, or aspect as the book said, costing me only 4 Gp! I had to give away 12 of my points for the crystals, as the first recipe requested exactly 3 different types of crystal. Then, I had to pay another 5 Gp for the flint pestle and a bowl. At least I already had a table here. The sulfur was only 6 Gp/pound, so I had enough to last me for a long while.

I immediately started crushing the crystals, an Ignis, Aqua, and Perditio vis crystals. Their names meant fire, water, and chaos. I thought I'd escaped Latin after middle school. Nonetheless, after the crushing I added some sulfur, and kept mixing. After a couple minutes I could see some sparkles in the dust, and I was sure that it wasn't pieces of crystal.

***ding***

**Salis mundus (Rare, simple)**

**A fine mix of chemistry and magic. It has multiple properties.**

**Components: Ignis, Aqua, Perditio, Sulfur.**

Well, vague description aside, that was what I was aiming for.

I walked to the table, took out my stone knife, and copied the pattern that was written on the book. The end result was a hexagon with lines branching out from its tips, dividing my table in six. Inside the hexagon were two triangles forming something reminiscent to a star of David, with the triangles split into smaller triangles themselves.

It looked wacky as fuck.

Still, I followed the next instructions and placed a vis crystal where indicated. From the top clockwise we had: Ordo (Order), Aer (Wind), Aqua, Perditio, Terra (Earth), Ignis. Another 12 Gp down the drain to get the three kinds I was missing. It better be fucking worth it.

The book said to leave the table to absorb the magic, or vis, from the crystals for 12 hours. I just set a reminder of my newly-regained phone and forgot about it.

I was about to move on, when something just struck me. I didn't own the damn table!

"Oh, god. Arashi's gonna kill me."

"What am I going to do now?"

I jumped up with a scream. I hadn't even heard him enter!

"Oh, hi Arashi! Er… I'm really sorry about this! I got so lost in the experiment that I forgot that the table was yours! But I promise I'llpayyoubackpleasedon'tkillmeI'msorry!"

He gave me the flattest look possible. It was even scarier than anything I'd imagined. In the end he looked back at the table, and rubbed his forehead with a paw.

"Not even one day and I'm already regretting everything. You know what? Fuck this. Get a job, and pay me back for this as soon as possible. If it's not by the end of the month, I'm throwing you out."

Just after that, he left immediately, leaving me in a pile of terror.

"_At least I have some time. Wait."_

"Hey, Arashi! When does this month end? My sense of time is fried!"

He answered me from the corridor. "In twelve days, so get to it! Oh, and the table was worth 60 Rupees!"

I didn't know if that was a lot, but at least I had an idea of how much I owed him. Immediately, I barrelled down the stairs and out the door, my cloak flapping behind me. A quick explanation along the lines of 'I was off to find a job' was all I gave Arashi before I was gone. He seemed about ready to argue the point but never got the chance.

Time to get myself a job. Oh, joy.

* * *

**-2 hours later-**

"Look, kid. I get that I'm looking for sum help around 'ere, but I ain't gonna pick up some random mook who popped in askin' for a job just five minutes ago. I got no idea who ya are, or if ya can be of any help at all. Ya get my point?"

I grumbled under my breath. So far, no luck.

"Then give me a chance to show you that I can! Even if there's something I can't do, I'm a fast learner. Just test me, and then you can throw me out if you don't like what I did."

The dragon in front of me stroke his chin, pondering at my proposal.

"Ah, whatever! 'S a slow day anyway. Might as well. 'Ere—" He pushed me to the forge. "—make an iron sword for me, and we'll see if yer any good. Got an order for cheetah-sized swords, anyway."

I picked up an iron ingot, feeling its weight. "Quick question. How does a forge work exactly? I've read stuff, but I feel like that was just gross underestimation."

Vulcan, the owner of the forge, clicked his tongue in disappointment, but sighed and gave me a crash course on forging. It was an arduous process at first, a literal trial by fire, but in the end, I managed to create something serviceable.

***ding***

**Iron sword (Uncommon, intricate)**

**Durability: 60/60**

**DMG: 18 (19,8)**

**A simple iron sword made by Daniel Samuels under the watchful eye of Vulcan Sidirourgeío.**

**Effect: sharp (+10% DMG)**

***ding***

**Skill: Weapons leveled up! (3 – 4)**

**Due to working with a master, your skill gained an Xp bonus! **

***ding***

**Due to forging a weapon way above what you should be able to, LUK and DEX increased by 1!**

Looking at the skill window, I noticed that the Xp that went to my skill was actually double what it should have been! I knew I said I was a quick learner, but that was downright unbelievable!

Vulcan observed my sword, testing for any obvious problems. Finding it acceptable, he handed it over back to me.

"Well, it ain't up to my level, but it's impressive for a newbie. Never would've expected ya to make sumthin' that good. And it was the first time ya forged anything, yah?" I nodded. "Welp, ya've got promise. A deal's a deal. Come over tomorrow morning around sunrise. We begin early."

With that he hurried me outside, barely giving me any time to flip my hood back on. Surprisingly, Vulcan was ok with me being something he'd never seen before. I was actually glad, both because it meant I had someone I could trust somewhat, even if he was my boss, and that I didn't have to wear the cape in the forge. That place was sweltering, I tell you!

Now that I had some free time, I thought back to a certain part of Loki's note: skill books. If I could actually get skills from books, could I also better the ones that I already have?

With that logic, I asked around if there was a library in town. Once I'd found it, I looked around the place, picking up some interesting books: one on halberd techniques, one on forging and one on elemental magic.

I walked back to Arashi's place, and found him putting on his armor.

"Any luck?" He asked, not even looking at me.

"Yes, actually. You're in the presence of this town's assistant blacksmith."

His eyes widened, and he turned back to me. "Alright, I'm actually impressed. How did you convince Vulcan? He's one of the best smiths I've heard of, and I've been in a lot of places. He wouldn't ever take on an apprentice with less than outstanding potential!"

I scratched my chin in thought. "Well, it might be because I've managed to make a perfectly usable sword without having ever touched a forge before. But that's just a hunch." The smug grin on my face was probably visible even with the hood on.

Arashi didn't even say anything, he just moved outside and motioned for me to follow him. Doing so, he guided me to a building in the centre of the town. I'd passed in front of it on my way to the library, but wasn't really sure what it was. Inside was a circular room, with five elevated podiums on one side in a semicircle. On the floor were multiple carpets.

"_Wait, is this a courtroom? I don't remember doing anything bad after the whole table incident!"_

To my luck, Arashi directed me to a side door I hadn't noticed before. Inside, was what you'd call an office of sorts, with various random stuff on the shelves attached to the walls. In the middle was a desk. To the right of it stood Capt. Frost, while behind it was an elderly dragoness. Her scales, which once might have been a bright yellow, had dulled with time and now were closer to a cream color. Surprisingly, even with scales I could see that dragons indeed had wrinkles. They weren't too pronounced, though. If she were human, I'd have given her around 60/70 years, give or take.

My instinctual **Observe** brought up fuck-all of course.

"Do you know why you were called here?" Asked the captain.

I shook my head. "Can't say I do, sir."

"Mainly it was to see how well you have been integrating, and to see if anything happened that we should be concerned about. Although, Elder Léi wanted to speak with you personally."

He nodded to Arashi, and he started reporting. "Nothing concerning came up, except for his forgetfulness for important details when he sets his mind on something. And that he found a job."

Both Frost and Léi gave me a quizzical look.

"I already said that I'm sorry, and that I'll pay you back, why did you have to mention it?"

He shrugged. "Just doing my job."

"Ahem," Frost called the attention back to himself. "If there is nothing else to report—" Arashi nodded, "—then we will leave you alone. Elder Léi requested specifically to speak with you alone." With that they both left, leaving me with the 'boss'.

Neither of us said anything for a while, with the elder staring at me, studying me. I really had no idea what I was supposed to do in such a situation, so I merely stayed silent.

For a minute.

For five minutes.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"You wanted to talk to me, correct ma'am? Then how about we actually talk? I'd rather be doing other things with my time than standing around." I said, annoyed.

Her gaze softened just a bit, and a small smile appeared on her face. "I suppose you are correct, although it is quite rude to hide your face like that. Why don't you take your hood off?"

I frowned. "I'd prefer if others didn't see my face. It prevents them from asking too many questions."

"Well, I can understand that, but there's only us in here, and I promise you I won't be spilling your secrets if that is what you are afraid of. Just alleviate this old dragoness' worries, will you?"

I groaned internally. I could try to bullshit my way out of it, but she was much older and wiser. She'd catch on immediately. I sighed. Once more, there was no way out for me. I'd have to suck it up and deal with it if I wanted the dragons to trust me in any way.

Slowly, I removed my hood, and the elder's eyes widened immediately.

"I can tell why you'd hide your face. Those red eyes of yours would scare anyone."

I blinked. What red eyes? My eyes were brown until a couple days ago. And yet… I looked around, finding a glass orb resting on a shelf level with my neck.

My eyes were a bloody red, and my ears had actually lengthened a bit, giving me a somewhat elf-like appearance.

***ding***

**Perk discovered!**

**Lesser demon body – Toggle: ON**

**+15% to all stats except LUK**

**+10% Hp regen**

That was… surprising to say the least. And I could toggle it at will? I tried, and immediately felt my ears change, becoming round again.

I looked into the glass ball, and as suspected my eyes had returned to their usual brown.

Elder Léi was staring at me intently during the whole debacle, and was surprised again when my face changed.

"Well, I'll be. I've never seen anything of the sort. Just what are you?"

I grimaced. Sure, my status was clear, but… I'd always been human, and now I was supposed to accept I was a demon? If so, what about my parents? I had really no idea on what to say.

"To be honest… I'd like to know as well. This… this isn't normal."

The rest of the discussion strayed away from my origins, to my appreciation, and went more into my time in the village. She was probably trying to gauge what kind of person I was, and I complied. Of course, I left things like why I made the arcane table, and the game out of the discussion. She probably realized that I was hiding some stuff, but she chose to not pry on it too much. In the end, we left each other on an amicable note.

Thus, after dinner, I was deciding on what to do with my night. I didn't need to sleep, ergo, I could train like a maniac every night. I quickly hashed out a schedule for my nights. Thankfully the days here worked the same as back on Earth, although with different names.

On Monday, I'd be leveling.

On Tuesday, I'd do physical stat training.

Wednesday, I'll train MAG.

Thursday, my skills. Mainly **Halberd**, **Unarmed** and **Sword**, which I'd undoubtedly get with my new weapon. Better to have it than not. They'd also level up when Xp grinding, so it wasn't much of a problem to bring them up.

Friday, I'd keep free to work on whatever was troubling me the most at that time. At that moment, it was my relatively low AGI.

Saturday, I'd level grind again. It was too important to do only once a week.

Sunday, I'd work on the thaumaturgy book. Maybe I'd change a couple things in the schedule if it was good for me.

So, it was Thursday. Skill training, here I come.

* * *

**And the stage is finally set!**

**I'll be answering some reviews here again.**

**The Lazy Dragon: Not anytime soon. The story is set about 50 years after the defeat of Malefor. I have a couple scenes planned with some characters, but this is more OC-centric.**

**justsomeguy16: Tsk. You just had to spoil the surprise, didn't you? Still, don't worry about Daniel becoming OP just this easily: I'm planning on him fighting beings with absurd levels: demons are absurd, I tell you. Just a teaser: the final boss will be around lv 2000**

**Alpha23: Well mate, I'm sorry that you're disappointed, but I'm not that good at romance in general. Maybe I'll put in something, but I doubt it. It definitely won't be anyone from the Spyro universe, though.**

**With all of this done, see you beautiful people in two weeks, with the beginning of Daniels magical mishaps, and a whole lot of fuckery... until the time comes to become serious.**

**-Xeno out!**


	4. 1-4 Beginner's magic

**-Day 5, Canaan, Daniel's POV-**

"_Well, this was unexpected." _I thought, as I stared at the multiple screens I'd opened in front of me. Let's just say that training a skill for hours on end was quite effective.

**Halberd (lv 26, 795/1.950 Xp)**

**-Knight 2 (+10% Halberd damage)**

**Unarmed (lv 25, 1.030/1.875 Xp)**

**-Striker 2 (+10% Unarmed strike damage)**

**Sword (lv 26, 150/1.950 Xp)**

**-Gladiator 2 (+10% Sword damage)**

The **Unarmed **skill had given me a choice at level 10: Striker or Grappler. Considering that I had no idea on how to grapple, my choice was quite obvious. I also gained 2 levels through the bonus from skill leveling, bringing me up to 24. With the levels came also some extra stat points in all stats… except for AGI. That thing was starting to bother me something fierce. All my other stats had reached 20, or were almost there. And then there was my 15 AGI. I was going to go parkouring as soon as possible.

Still, it was finally dawn, and I was currently knocking on the forge's backdoor. The doors in this town were much taller than the ones back home for sure, reaching about 11 feet. I definitely felt puny compared to the dragons around.

While I was stuck in my thoughts, Vulcan opened the door and let me in. The heat of the forge was definitely not something I was looking forward to, but I could deal with it. I took off my cloak, and we got to work. Vulcan had taken an order from a nearby cheetah village, about 30 iron swords. While he let me keep the one I'd made, we still needed to make some more. My sword quality was alternating between common and uncommon evenly, probably because Vulcan was there to give me tips here and there.

It didn't take too much before my **Weapons** skill leveled up heavily. It reached level 9, but by that time we were already done with that order.

Vulcan worked _fast_, I tell you. Once we were done, he put the finished products away, and got to teaching me the best ways to forge stuff, allowing me to also start dabbling into some armor for myself. I must admit that my first work was of poor quality, even Vulcan admitted so himself. Thankfully, he was patient and showed me what I did wrong. Incredibly, my next attempt came out as uncommon! Thus, I now had myself a pair of iron bracers.

What a stroke of luck!

The remainder day was spent with Vulcan teaching me how a dragon's armor worked, what pieces it was made of, et cetera. One guard came by due to his helmet having been deformed because of an accident, but other than that, it was quiet. Most of Vulcan's work was either big orders which would be collected at a later date, or small repairs that were done in a matter of minutes. I was allowed an hour break for lunch time, in which I rushed to Arashi's place to remove the vis crystals from the arcane table, but other than that I spent my day in the forge. Only once it was nearing sunset we closed up shop and left. Directing myself to Arashi's house, I reread all the screens that greeted me once I stepped out.

**Crafting: Weapons leveled up! (4 – 9)**

**Crafting: Armor leveled up! (1 – 2)**

**STR, VIT and DEX increased by 2 due to your grueling forging!**

**LUK increased by 1 due to forging an item above your level!**

**Due to learning from a much more experienced individual, Weapons, Tools and Armor increased by 3!**

All of the level ups that should have been appearing while I worked came up only once I was done working. It was something new, certainly, but it was definitely useful. Plus, the new perk for the **Weapons** skill was nice.

**Weaponsmith 1**

**-Allows ****the crafting of Common quality weapons more consistently****.**

In other words, if Vulcan wasn't there I would have been making Poor swords earlier, but now I could do Common even without him, and if he was there I could make Uncommon weapons. Maybe I would be able to make Rare weapons, like some of the things in his shop.

I hadn't expected it, but Vulcan had decided to pay me by the day. I didn't argue, of course, I just pocketed my 20 rupees and thanked him. I had Arashi explain to me how much a rupee was worth, and it was around two and a half times an euro.

So, the table was about 150 euro. Eh, not extremely expensive compared to some things I'd seen, but sheesh. Debts definitely weren't fun. Thankfully, Vulcan was quite generous in my daily pay, allowing me to pay off Arashi within two more days, maybe three, if I didn't get the chance.

Dinner was a quiet affair. While I didn't need to eat food that often, I forced myself to because first, it would be rude to decline. Second, I was a paranoid fuck and didn't want him to know my body's limits.

Finally, I was in my room once more, and this time I had an arcane table ready. It took a not insignificant amount of Gp, 40 of 'em, but I had managed to get my hands on the base needed to create a thaumometer.

The book I was gifted specified that a thaumometer was an extremely important tool for all thaumateurghs: mainly because it allowed its user to recognize the different types of vis contained in common objects. Those same types of vis that were used also for alchemy, but that could wait…at least until I had a place of my own. Plus, for alchemy I'd need a crucible. To use a crucible, I needed fire. The floor was wood. Nope!

Nonetheless, back on track. The basic form of a thaumometer consisted of a hexagonal lens with a golden frame all around it. At its longest it was about 7 inches, allowing me to actually see through it while keeping it a respectable distance away from my face.

I placed the lens in the middle of the arcane table, and placed, like always,` the six crystals needed. I then had to leave the thaumometer to absorb the vis for about eight hours.

Welp, I just set a reminder on my phone and went back to training.

* * *

**-Day 6, Arashi's house, Daniel's POV-**

My full night of parkour in an ID was extremely fruitful. I almost fixed my AGI problem, bringing it to a respectful 19. My DEX increased by 1 too, but that wasn't so important. What was important was that I finally had my own thaumometer. Keyword being _had_.

**-Earlier in the morning-**

It was about half an hour before sunrise, and my phone had rung, alerting me that my thaumometer was ready. I returned inside, and picked it off the table.

***ding***

**Thaumometer (intricate, rare)**

**DUR: 10/10**

**A vis-infused lens which allows the user to study the ambient vis.**

***ding***

**You obtained an item that can upgrade a spell! Do you want to combine [Thaumometer] and {Observe} to enhance the spell's effects?**

**Y/N**

I blinked.

I blinked twice.

"_Eh, what the hell."_

I pressed yes. The thaumometer burst into golden dust, and was absorbed into my skin.

***ding***

**{Observe} was upgraded! Additional info: Aspect gained!**

Wanting to try it immediately, I **Observed** my arcane table.

***ding***

**Arcane table (complex, rare)**

**DUR: 60/60**

**Aspects: Arbor(15); Instrumentum(12); Praecantatio(5)**

**A normal wooden table with vis channels burned into it. It can be used to infuse objects with vis.**

So, my **Observe** could now show me also the vis aspects present in different items. I was curious if it worked also on living beings… but I still couldn't **Observe** any adults! Well, **Observing** people seemed to be giving a lot of Xp to the skill, so… might as well check on anyone that I saw. At least some should have been in my range.

With newfound speed I ran all the way to the forge, arriving just on time.

Thus went the day, with Vulcan lecturing me in forging and maintenance, and having me creating some simple tools to test my understanding of his teachings. It was during my hammering of a hammerhead (heh), that someone entered. A lot of people, considering the multitude of steps I could hear.

Vulcan asked me to lend a hand to bring the swords we'd made yesterday on our client's cart, thus I picked up a barrel and followed. Once I placed my barrel on the cart, I turned back to get back in, when I ran into someone. Someone I really didn't want to meet ever again.

"You again?!" We both yelled, incredulously. Staring at me was the same asshole that greeted me on my first day in this fucking world!

I popped an **Observe** immediately, hoping that he wasn't too much of a problem.

***ding***

**Cyros Alastor - Vengeful ****O****ne (-50 REP with everyone friendly to ?, +50 REP with everyone who dislikes ?)  
Race: Cheetah (+1 DEX every two levels)  
Lv: 15  
Hp: 130/130  
Mp: 50 (locked)  
STR: 15  
VIT: 13  
AGI: 17  
DEX: 16 (23)  
MAG: 5  
LUK: 9  
Aspects: Intelligentia(25); Ordo(6); Victus(22)**

**Born from a mother with no mate, Cyros was forced to watch a horrible occurrence between two cheetahs that were so very close to him. The scene stirred a seething fire within his depths, causing him to walk the path of revenge against one of those cheetahs. Since revenge is all he has been training for, it is the only thing he cares for, leaving him with little personality.**

**Skill: Divine magic leveled up! (13 – 14)**

"_Well, I had a right to be scared of him almost a week ago, but now... heh."_

I decided to see if he would still be an asshole to me.

"Quite the surprise to see you here, I'll admit. So, how's things been for you this last week? Oh, it seems that in your hurry to lug me around back then you forgot to tell me your name," I extended a hand towards him. "I'm Daniel. Hope you got over whatever it was that made you act like a cunt back then."

I always enjoyed bewildering people, and this time was just as enjoyable.

"Cyros, you know this being?" The other Cheetah asked. **Observe** time!

***ding***

**Milo Ardhanari - Cannon ****F****odder (+5 VIT and LUK)  
Race: Cheetah (+1 DEX every two levels)  
Lv 16  
Hp: 170/170  
Mp: 40 (Locked)  
STR: 15  
VIT: 17 (22)  
AGI: 16  
DEX: 14 (22)  
MAG: 4  
LUK: 14 (19)  
Aspects: Intelligentia(25); Tutamen(12); Victus(22)**

**Milo has always been a guard ****for as long as he can remember****, and he's happy with his lot in life. He enjoys being inconspicuous, and being just a face in a platoon suits him perfectly. He still has a defensive streak, being always willing to defend the innocent.**

I could respect wanting to live a calm life (Kira much?), but having a title called 'cannon fodder'? Sheesh. Actually…I had no title except for 'The Gamer' and 'Heir to the Netherworld'. Neither of which I'd done anything to actually deserve except accepting Loki's offer and being born in the first place!

Bah. Whatever.

"Yes, I do… somewhat. We've met about a week ago," Cyros turned to me. "and what are you even doing here? This is a town of dragons, not apes."

I gave him my usual deadpan look, and answered in what was possibly the flattest, most unamused voice ever.

"I live here, nitwit. It's not written anywhere that only dragons can live here. And I'm not an ape, in case your eyes are that bad."

I'd like to point out that since I just came out of the forge, I was cape-less. Thus, my not-apelike face was visible to everyone.

Surprisingly enough, Cyros kept his cool somewhat, and just snorted in my face. He then climbed up on the cart, and both him and Milo left.

As we watched them leave, Vulcan nudged me. "C'mon, time to close."

I blinked. "Already?" It was barely noon.

He nodded. "Aye. 'S Loredas, we work only half a day today. 'N don't bother coming tomorrow."

With that, we cleaned up and went our separate ways. I'd almost forgotten it was the weekend. Nothing much had changed, except another DEX due to handling small stuff a lot, and two levels to **Tools**, bringing it up to 7. My pay was 15 rupees this time, by the way.

Thus, I had one and a half days free on my hands. And only one way I could think of occupying that time: training. The only problem with it was one: I couldn't do it while Arashi was waiting for me. I resolved to just go back and decide then. I really needed a cloning spell or something.

* * *

"I'm back!" Man, did I feel Asian saying it. At least it wasn't in actual Japanese.

"Fuck you, where's my money?" Arashi answered in a tired voice.

"You'll have it within next week," I answered while going back to my room. Might as well read some more.

* * *

As I couldn't practice alchemy (couldn't make a crucible), I moved on to the following chapter: auromancy. Basically, it was spellcrafting. Firstly, I needed a foci, which I made simply with a stick and an aqua vis crystal. Then, came the hard part: I had to actually cast the spell.

I was currently inside an empty ID, and was contemplating how to converge vis of different types in my foci. Doing what I thought could work, l tried to project my mana outside of myself slowly, making it exude out of my hand. Slowly, I made the mana crawl trough the stick into the crystal, and in the meanwhile I kept the concept of water firmly in my mind, trying to force my mana to take on the qualities of water.

I succeeded, somehow, as I could feel the mana stick to the crystal easily. Then, came the second part of the spell: the effect. This one was easy, as all this spell was supposed to do was create a jet of water. Thus, I gave my mana the properties of movement, motus. I covered the aqua mana already inside the crystal with the motus mana that I'd created, and then let it go outwards.

The spell worked somewhat, but instead of a burst of water into one certain direction the water went everywhere. It wasn't even that much water, maybe a cup.

***ding***

**Skill branch gained: Auromancy**

**Skill gained: Aqua ****M****agic**

**Spell created: Drizzle (novice, min 10 Mp)**

**\- A light sprinkle of water. Useful for staying fresh.**

At least it was progress. Nevermind the fact that everytime I did something new with magic I ended up doing something stupid, and nevermind also the fact that my eyelid was twitching from a combination of annoyance and disappointment.

I was perfectly calm.

"MOTHERFU—"

**xXxXx**

**We have censored the following scene due to extreme and prolonged vulgarity.**

**xXxXx**

"—AND FUCK ME TOO, BECAUSE WHY NOT?! IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO MANAGE A SPELL AT THE FIRST TRY OR ANYTHING—"

**xXxXx**

**Let's wait a bit longer, shall we?**

**xXxXx**

I held my 'wand' tightly, focusing on the mana inside it. Last time I just let the mana go outwards, but this time I tried to only let it go on one side. I did it. The stream was shaky, and it lasted at most two seconds, but it worked!

**Spell created: Water ****G****un (novice, 15 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: ****W****ater**

**\- Creates a weak stream of water.**

**\- DMG: (MAG/2) + 'Aqua ****M****agic'**

**xXxXx **

**Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (8 – 10) (****Y****ou skipped a couple steps there)**

That spell, while weaker than my **Mana ****B****last** currently, would grow much easier, as it seemed like all the **Auromancy** branch was practical, not theoretical. Or at least, **Aqua** was, so by logic... And speaking of, FUCK YES! I was one step closer to doing magic without using these stupid foci! The double level up was probably due to the fact that I managed to manipulate my mana outside of my body.

Nonetheless, one more bonus objective completed. It had taken me only around an hour to get to this point, so I chose to go a bit further too. I had a cloak that enhanced the magical abilities of my dark, shadow and death magic, so...

Time to make a dark-elemental **Water ****G****un**!

The most help that I could get from the book was that the 'Dark' element was more akin to 'corruption'; as such the vis that constituted it was 'vitium'. Shadow, instead, was 'tenebrae', as in, 'absence of light'. Death was just that, death. It translated to either 'mortuus' or 'exanimis', depending on whether it related to killing stuff or reviving the dead.

The spell was a success! I gained the branches **Vitium**, **Tenebrae** and **Mortuus** easily, and their spells were actually awesome.

**Mudo (novice, 20 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: ****D****ark**

**\- ****Shoots a bullet of dark mana that has a very small chance to instantly kill an enemy when it hits. Sticks to the skin of the enemy, damaging them continuously. Damage stacks. **

**\- DMG: (MAG + 'Vitium ****M****agic')/3 every second. **

**\- Lasts: 'Vitium ****M****agic' seconds**

**xXxXx**

**Blind (novice, 10 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: ****S****hadow**

**\- Throws a clump of shadows to blind the enemy. Deals no damage.**

**\- Duration: 'Tenebrae ****M****agic'×2 seconds**

**xXxXx**

**Drain (novice, 15 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: ****D****eath**

**\- Saps away the target's Hp and gives half of it to the user.**

**\- DMG: ('Mortuus ****M****agic'% of target Hp) + MAG**

While the damage calculation for **Drain** was weird, it wasn't too complicated: for example, if I used it right now on an enemy with 1000 Hp, they would lose 1% of their Hp, in this case 10, and then to that you'd add my MAG, thus making the base damage 30. Of which, 15 would go to me, refilling me. And with the cloak's effect, the damage rose to around 34, thus netting me 17 Hp.

An extremely handy skill, especially at a higher level. Potentially, I could just spam that and kill anything when I'd get **Mortuus** at about 100. But that was a long way to go. And while I could cast the spell, the skill wouldn't get any Xp since I needed to use it on an actual enemy.

...speaking of.

"**Help.**"

The screen appeared before me, and I immediately typed out my question.

'_What is the boss rank?'_

I should really have asked that earlier, but my dumbass got distracted by other things.

**Query: What is the boss rank?**

**Answer: The boss rank is the indication of an enemy's place in the hierarchy of the dungeon. The ranking is as follows:**

**No rank: cannon fodder**

**Rank 3: mini-boss**

**Rank 2: Field boss**

**Rank 1: Dungeon boss**

**Rank EX: Dungeon god. Don't even try to fight it. Leave before it spawns, for the love of everything.**

"_...Wow. Ok. So, the dreadnaught was just a mini-boss... it did mention that when I killed it. maybe I could try my hand at a Field boss? Nah. Not yet."_ I wanted some more options in my arsenal first. And higher stats, in everything. That, or someone to help me, and that wasn't really a viable option.

I popped out of the ID, and went downstairs, to avoid arousing Arashi's suspicion. It would be awful if he went upstairs and saw that I wasn't present.

* * *

**-Night of Day 6, Canaan, Tundra's POV-**

The being that helped us lived in the town now. It had done so since he helped us. I wanted to meet him again, to walk up to him and just... talk. But I couldn't bring myself to do so. What would I even say? Would he even want to talk to me? Last time he was nice, sure, but it could have just been because the guards were there. I didn't even know why I wanted to talk to him!

...the past few days, I didn't manage to sleep well. All I could think of was... what if he wouldn't have arrived? What if I didn't decide to help? What if the apes would have been smarter and circled us while we were busy? What if, what if, WHAT IF?!

I didn't have an answer. Star didn't feel that much better, and I could tell. I could hear her shuffling around at night, since our rooms were next to each other. That night, she would keep turning, and turning, and sometime in the middle of the night she decided to sneak into my room. She probably thought I was asleep, but I actually slept even less than her.

I was feeling like crap. I had killed, too! Ancestors, I killed them. I knew that I would need to do that eventually, as no dragon ever managed to live without fighting, but... I was just sixteen! How many dragons could say that they killed someone before even becoming an adult!? And it wasn't just me! Star did so too, and she was Fourteen! And Pyra, she's thirteen! Ancestors, she was thirteen. What did they ever do to deserve that! What did I do?

Then, I saw that being, Daniel, I heard dad call him. He looked perfectly fine. As if nothing went wrong. Did he really not care? Or maybe it was just a mask? Was he as traumatized as us? I wanted to know, I needed to know! I needed answers!

"What's the matter, bud?"

I stumbled in confusion. I hadn't expected anyone to be outside at that hour! I looked around, and there was Daniel!

"You want to talk about it?"

He was just there, in front of me! He wanted to talk to me, too! I could ask him anything, but...

"No, just couldn't sleep."

...I chickened out.

Yet, he didn't let me go that easily.

"I can tell that's not true, you know. You're not that good at hiding your emotions. I mean, sure, you can't sleep and that's obvious, but there's something much worse bothering you, isn't it?"

I really wanted to tell him! I wanted him to know what it was like for me, I, I...

"...I'm confused."

"About what?"

"A lot of things. About why they wanted to take Pyra, why us, why you helped us, why do I feel so bad after what happened, why did the girls even have to witness that! It's all such a mess..."

He nodded. He wasn't even looking at me anymore, his eyes staring into the void just like mine. After a while, he spoke again. "Sometimes, things just are. There's no point in thinking them over, because there's not much to think about. They happened, and that's the end of it. Although...they wanted to extract your mana."

"What?"

"Your mana. Your sister's mana. Pyra's mana. They wanted it. You weren't the first they targeted. They've caught around a dozen dragons and killed them for it. Maybe you could have survived...that's the worse alternative. Some mental scars are probably much better. I wouldn't know."

"Why wouldn't you know?"

"I have no such scars, and I probably never will. I have a spell of sorts, etched into my mind. I can't ever be consumed by emotions. I can laugh, I can cry, but...never to the same extent as everyone else. I miss my family, you know."

I blinked at the sudden change of topic, but stayed quiet.

"They're so far away...I could talk to them, if I wanted, but...what would I tell them? 'Hi, I'm the son you thought was dead, I'm stuck somewhere filled with dragons, I don't know if I'll ever get home, bye'?"

"We both have it rough," I chuckled.

"Damn straight," he sighed. "I'll probably never understand what you feel like, but you can still talk to me, if you want. As long as it's not while I'm working."

"You have a job?"

"What did you take me for, a worthless bum? Of course I do. I work at the forge."

"Good for you."

"Yeah, but now—" he got up "—it's time for you to get home. I can't help with the nightmares, but they're just that, nightmares. They can't hurt you. Plus, there's guards all around, you can trust them to keep the apes away. Plus, I'm here too."

* * *

**-Daniel's POV-**

As I looked at Tundra walking away, I understood why the game wanted me to not use an ID tonight. While I'd wasted some time where I could have grinded levels, I managed to help him a bit. That was worth it.

**Quest complete: Lending an ear  
Rank: E  
Objectives:  
-Wander around the town  
-Calm Tundra's worries (+500 Xp)  
Bonus:  
-Give Tundra some more insight about you (+100 Xp, Tundra is more likely to help you when you'll need it)**

**xXxXx **

**Gained: +600 Xp**

**Daniel leveled up! (24 – 25) You gained 5 Stat points! +1 STR! +1 MAG!**

The Xp was nice too. Still, I had about four hours of time to kill. Might as well try the mini-boss of the ape ID.

* * *

There was the bitch. I was hiding behind a building, while the mini-boss was wandering around the street, probably searching for me.

**Ape commander (+15% DEX, VIT, AGI)**

**Lv: 15**

**Hp: 190/190**

**Mp: N/A**

**STR: 20**

**VIT: 19 (21.8)**

**AGI: 17 (19.5)**

**DEX: 19 (21.8)**

**MAG: 0**

**LUK: 0**

**Boss rank: 3**

**Aspects: Bestia(15); Telum(10); Perditio(20)**

**A platoon commander. A bit smarter than your average ape, but still stupid. It likely has fleas.**

Another physical fighter. Time to pull out my new strategy.

A quick casting of **Blind** confused it, followed up immediately by **Mudo**.

One second. **-11 Hp**.

And another **Mudo**, so it went to 22.

I just cast four **Mudos** and let them do their job. It took about six seconds for the ape to die. **Mudo** FTW!

**Mini-boss: Ape commander Lv: 15 killed!**

**You gained 1875 Xp, 300 Gp!**

No loot? Lame. Well, at least that was a good amount of Gp.

* * *

**-Day 7, Arashi's house, Daniel's POV-**

I was currently sitting in my room, thinking back to what I'd told Tundra last night. Should I call them? I'd been debating for a while now, and even came close to doing it more than once, but... I was scared. How would they react? Would it be better if I let them see me? Should I...

I was about to put away my phone, but stopped.

"Fuck it. I need this."

I unlocked the screen, and called. No more overthinking.

The phone rung once...

Twice...

Thrice...

"Whoever this is, wherever you found this phone, please don't call this number again—"

"Mom, it's me! Daniel!"

"...Daniel? Impossible. My son is long dead. Please stop with this stupid prank."

"Mom, it's been what? A week? Did you seriously kill me off in such a short amount of time? You should now I'm made of sterner stuff than that!"

"It's been seven years. Whoever you are, if you don't stop I'll call the authorities."

"WHAT! Alright, I've got it. Back when I was eight, I ate a whole pack of chips for dinner and vomited all over the bed that night. Only you and I know that."

"D-Daniel? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, mom. It's truly me. I didn't know it had been so long for you. It's only been a week for me."

"I can tell that your voice is about the same as last time I heard you, but how is this possible?"

I took a moment to ready myself. I would have to tell the whole truth to them.

* * *

"Ok, let's see if I got everything: you, your father, and all in the male side of his family is part demons, you've learned how to become a full demon —even if a low-class one— and it's all thanks to a power that makes your life a game, which you gained thanks to a god called Loki. The same Loki that ripped you from home, and sent you on another world populated by dragons and lots of other things, without even telling you of the time discrepancy."

"Yep, that's about it. It's bullcrap, but it's my life now."

"And what are you planning to do? I doubt that we'll be alive by the time you manage to get back."

"Well, I guess—"

***ding***

**Message from: Loki**

**Hey, it's your fault that it took you so long to call home! In my defence, the phone had a magical matrix in it that would sync whatever world you're in to your world's. Had to call in a favour for this. That's one you owe me.**

"—Alright, I guess that the problem was already solved. Basically Loki did some magical stuff with the phone, that synced the time flow of these worlds, and will do the same as long as I call you for every other world."

"So, I'll be actually able to hear you more often now?"

"Well, often is relative, considering that I didn't call for seven years on your line."

"Daniel..."

"Yes mom, I'll call."

"Good boy. Now, do you want to tell me how you spent this week of yours?"

I spent hours talking to my mom, and then my father and sister. Seven years had really taken their toll on them. I'll admit it was freaky to hear my sister as thirteen. I remembered her as a little kid, and now she was a teenager. I know that kids grow fast, but that's way too much.

* * *

With a lighter heart and more determination than ever, I concentrated once more into my training. Half of the day was gone, but I didn't give an absolute damn. It was time to pass to the last chapter in the book, Goleomancy. With that I should be able to take on much more powerful enemies. At least in theory.

For making golems I'd need one Cognitio vis, one Victus vis, and four Motus vis. Down the drain went another 12 Gp.

With those materials, I built a body for my golem made of dirt... didn't have any other materials at the ready. I left a hole of about three inches (bit over 7.5 cm) in the head, forearms, shins, and chest. Inside those holes I put respectively the Cognitio, Motus and Victus crystals.

"_I wonder what kind of magic I could make with Motus. Maybe telekinesis? Could I adapt it to being cast without foci? I really want to become an esper, if only to fuck around with people."_

Back on track. I proceeded then to cover the whole golem's body with Salis Mundus, and read the 'incantation'.

"Golem, isti surge et creator vestris parere!"

From what I remembered of Latin this was definitely butchered to hell and back. Or maybe it was a whole other laguage reminiscent of latin? Considering that the book was a gift by Loki, it was possible. Who knew where in the multiverse he got it from. As I finished the incantation, the golem shuddered and started moving, rising up from the lying-down position I'd built it in at first. Once it was on its feet, I both observed it and **Observed** it.

***ding***

**Unnamed golem – Dirt (+5% VIT and STR)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 4**

**Hp: 50/50**

**Mp: 10 (Locked)**

**STR: 6 [6.3]**

**VIT: 1 (5) [5.25]**

**AGI: 3**

**DEX: 3**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 6**

**Aspects: Terra(15); Cognitio(10); Motus(20)**

**A golem made of dirt by Daniel Samuels. It is clumsy and brittle. It has a decent amount of intelligence, and understands basic commands.**

The golem was tall about five feet (1.5 meters), and its only defining trait was the very soft glows coming from the activated vis crystals: grey for its limbs, red for its chest, and light pink for its face. Everything else was brownish-black.

***ding***

**Skill: Golems gained!**

**Skill: Golems leveled up! (1 – 2)!**

Apparently it was listed as a crafting skill, and...oh fuck. It was another **Manipulation**.

I hanged my head in exasperation. Why me?!

In the end, I managed to pull myself together and look at the bright side: I'd understand this thing inside and out by the time I was done with it. Actually...

**Query: How do I level up the 'Golems' skill?**

**Answer: This skill will increase along with your proficiency in creating golems. The more complex the golems, the higher your skill will be.**

So, in other words, I needed to do some complicated shit. Nothing new. What could I do? A rock golem? I had the crystals, but I needed the rock. Where in the hell would I get it anyway? I'm no miner.

***ding***

**You have created an artificial being! Do you want to synchronize your mana with it?**

**Y/N**

"**...Help.**"

**Query: What does it mean 'to synchronize my mana'?**

**Answer: Mana synchronization is best explained as a sort of 'party system'. You can only do this with artificial beings you made, i.e. golems, familiars, homunculi, etc.**

**Synchronized beings will be able to level up, but their points will be yours to spend. They won't be able to increase their stats easily either. While possible, it will take as much effort as any normal being. Only the Gamer is exempt from this.**

**Mana synchronization takes a big toll on someone's energy, and as such you will be limited to one extra being for every 100 levels. I.E. now you can do one, at lv 100 you'll be able to do two, at 200 three, and so on.**

While there were a lot of limitations, it was still very good. Although...

**Query: Is mana synchronization permanent?**

**Answer: No. The synchronizer can cut off the synchronized at any time. The synchronized's level and stats will stay the same, too.**

In that case... some extra help wouldn't be unappreciated. I could get the golem to be much stronger than me, then kick it out of the party, letting it deal with powerful enemies, and allowing me to deal the final hit. As it would be outside of my party, only I should get the Xp.

As I pressed yes, I felt a big chunk of my mana fly out of me, and into the golem. Its 'skin' became more even, and it also got about an inch (2.5 cm) taller**.**

***ding***

**Unnamed golem – Mana infused dirt (+15% STR, VIT, MAG)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT every level)**

**Lv: 4 (0/800)**

**Hp: 50/50**

**Mp: 10/10 (+1 Mp/min)**

**STR: 6 [6.9]**

**VIT: 1 (5) [5.7]**

**AGI: 3**

**DEX: 3**

**MAG: 1 (1.1)**

**LUK: 6**

**Aspects: Terra(15); Praecantatio(10); Cognitio(15); Motus(20)**

**A mana-infused dirt golem. Still brittle, but it can be fixed. It has a potential for magic, but no way to use it as of now. It is slightly intelligent, and understands less complex commands.**

I pursed my lips at seeing the Xp requirement: double what I needed at that level. Another problem, it seemed. Oh, well.

I opened the quest log, and stared at the **On becoming a mage** quest... it had no time limit, and I could turn it in whenever. I did finish the book already... bah. Alchemy didn't really intrigue me from what I'd read. Although, I didn want to learn runes. Could be very useful.

I turned in the quest.

**Quest complete: ****On becoming a mage (1/?)  
Rank: F  
Objectives:  
-Read the book 'Thaumaturgy for dummies' (+100 Xp)  
Bonus:  
-Follow the book's instructions (4/6) ('Enchanting made easy', +2 Skill token, ×5 spell upgrade scrolls, project: Mind Core)**

**Gained: +100 Xp, Book: 'Enchanting made easy', +2 Skill token, ×5 spell upgrade scrolls, project: Mind Core.**

I accepted it all, making a mental note to give the new book a look later. For now, I took out the project and skill upgrade scrolls.

**Project (unique , N/A)**

**Aspects: Herba(5); Instrumentum(5)**

**This project teaches how to create a Mind Core. It can be learned only if you have the appropriate skill.**

**Required Crafting: Golems lv: MAX**

Level max. Motherfucking level max. Great.

**Skill upgrade scroll (unique, N/A)**

**Allows the upgrade of a spell into one of higher tier.**

**Warning: while the spell effect increases, so will the cost. A 20 Mp spell will become 40, then 80, and so on.**

Now that was more useful...not now though. I'd use it only when I had enough Mp for it. I'd say about 50 MAG would be good. Time to step it up. With my current Mp regen I'd be able to use my **Overdrive** for 25 minutes before having to recharge. I'll start using it again as much as possible. The continuous should power level my MAG something fierce. Might as well cut it off from my schedule, as I could do it in the day. One more day to level grind.

I turned back to my golem, thinking back on what to do with it...

**Query: Can golems be placed in the Inventory?**

**Answer: Yes, as they are not living beings. Be warned: if you put living beings in the inventory, they will die.**

Welp. I picked up the golem at slammed it into my inventory. I'll admit that that thing was heavy as fuck. About 60 kilograms (130 lbs).

* * *

"You've been surprisingly quiet today."

"I was working on something."

"Care to elaborate?"

"You'll see when it's done. It's not that amazing, anyway."

"Hm."

Other that that, neither of us said anything during dinner. I had the feeling that Arashi didn't like me much...can't fault him. I'm kinda hard to deal with. And the fact that he probably viewed me as more of a mission then just someone he lives with wasn't helping.

* * *

**-Day 8, Morning, Canaan, Daniel's POV-**

I was finishing up an enchantment I learned from my new book, a simple **Defence ****B****oost **on my bracers, when I received a message.

**Message from: Zilan Astaroth**

**I hope this thing works. You all are in deep trouble. I reached our base last night, and gave my report. This morning, multiple platoons were ****mobilised****. About 100 apes are coming. They'll reach Canaan in about five days, since it'll take a bit longer due to supplies and whatnot. They'll attack at night. This'll be all from me for now. Got to go.**

Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap CRAP!

I only had five days to get strong enough to survive the attack! I should probably increase also my **Golems** skill in order to make something more serviceable. Probably rock should do it. Guess I would have to reveal some things to Léi. If anything, she seemed wise enough to listen.

* * *

**Hallo everyone! Xeno here with a new chapter! As always, I'll try to be brief. First, thanks again to Shadowfire Angel for being my beta. Second, I want to thank every one of my readers. You're all great people!**

**Now, as some of you will have noticed, some of the things I put in the Thaumaturgy book was blatantly ripped out from the 'Thaumcraft' mod for Minecraft. Yes, I'm kinda lazy. But to be honest, only the basic stuff will be pulled out. As it is, I haven't really gotten to the deep of it, so a lot of knowledge I would need for copying the mod... isn't there. Thus, I will complete that with my own ideas, speculations, and choices. In other words, some stuff you may expect to find in Thaumcraft may not be here, while other things will be. A good example would be the fact that Daniel uses his own mana for Auromancy, when in theory he is supposed to use the ambient vis. Also, the difference between essentia, aspects, vis... is bullcrap in my opinion.**

**TL;DR: If you know Thaumcraft, you can forget it: the thaumaturgy here is different.**

**Now, onto answering your reviews!**

**The Silent Insomniac: Yeah, I can see how the story would give that impression, but I assure you I'll do my utmost to work this story well. For Arashi... he doesn't like Daniel all that much, but considering the situation, he decided to give him a pass. For the cast... I plan on having a couple of other characters pop up, but none that will join Daniel as a 'party' of sorts. Of course, Sora will come, and come hell or high water, you all will get him. It will take a while, though. Just wait until we start going on the offensive. If I misunderstood the question, then you might want to hear that yes, this world itself is something of a training pen for Daniel. The main story will be another world. But before we get there, there's a bit of fuckery to do.**

**PsycoDragonKiller: Yes. All the Yes. And since you seem to like SMT, you'll love what I have planned for one of the future arks.**

**Spyro fanboy: Maybe... you will have to wait a while to see it though. As Daniel said, he needs his own place before trying out that... and other stuff.**

**Ethhar: All I could tell you is written in the A/N proper.**

**That's it, y'all! See you in two weeks!**


	5. 1-5 Rise to the challenge

**Hey all, Xeno here. Shadow had some trouble, so he didn't have the time to edit this chapter. When possible, I'll upload the edited version, but for now we have this.**

**-Day 8, Léi's office, Daniel's POV-**

"Ma'am! We have a huge problem on our hands!" I shouted, bursting into the room.

Once I righted myself, I noticed that she wasn't alone: Frost was here, probably reporting something.

"And what is so important that you must burst in here, without even knocking?" She asked, and I could hear some mirth in her voice.

"Alright, it's best if I start at the beginning," I said, and immediately pulled up the **Message** screen. None of them could see it, of course, but they would soon.

**Message to: Léi Ji, Frost Polar.**

**I can use a spell that allows me to communicate with anyone, regardless of distance. I have a spy among the apes, and I've been informed of a small army coming here within the end of the week.**

I didn't know Léi's last name, the system supplied it to me, but it didn't matter at the moment. I sent the message to both of them, seeing their eyes widen. Frost was the first to finish reading.

"And why didn't you share this earlier? Such a spell would be unbelievably useful to arrange troops, and yet you use it to… play as a spy!" He was pissed alright.

"I've literally just told you as soon as I got the info. And as for the spell, it's not my creation, and I doubt I could teach it to anyone. I only know how to use it, not how it works."

Frost was about to erupt… ironically enough. Fortunately, Léi was there to stop us.

"Alright, that's enough. Bickering like hatchlings isn't going to help us prepare. Now," She turned to me. "would you say that your source is trustworthy?"

"I'm decently sure. It's still an ape that we're talking about, even if he's more reasonable than most. I'd say that we take it with a grain of salt. The chance is there though, and I'd rather not risk it."

She nodded. "Anything else you can tell us?"

"They're supposed to be here in around five days, and attack at night."

Frost intercepted me. "It might be a ruse to get us to stay alert at night, making us weak during the day."

Both Léi and I nodded. "True that," I said. "can't you just split up the troops? One group will keep watch during the day, and another during the night?"

Frost grimaced. "As much as I'd like to, we're not that many. Splitting up the forces would give the apes a way to breach in."

A metaphorical lightbulb lit up in my head. "I have an idea." I reached into my inventory, and pulled out my golem. They both recoiled in surprise.

"This is my idea: I can make more of these golems, of different materials too. This one is actually pretty weak, but I'll be able to make it stronger with some time. Meanwhile, I'll make more golems, possibly of rock, maybe with metal plates. I could also try wood, they should be pretty fast. Anyway, you could have some dragons more experienced than me create the base structure, then I'd make them actually move. I'll need to work on making them smarter, too, but I should have enough time."

Both looked very confused, but Léi recovered first.

"So, these 'golems'… how many can you make?"

I didn't have an answer. "Honestly, I have no idea. In theory, as long as I have the materials, I shouldn't have a limit. Of course, we're on a time limit. I'll try making as many as I can. Unfortunately, I have to work… I'm late too. So, I could try doing it at night. I don't need much sleep anyway."

Léi and Frost seemed to accept my answer.

"Very well," said Léi "I'll have multiple carpenters and sculptors ready, along with woodcutters and miners." She sighed. "This'll put a strain on our budget."

I gave a respectful bow to both of them. "I apologize, but I need to take my leave. Vulcan will have my head if I'm anymore late."

I made to leave, but Frost stopped me. "We need you here. You're the only one who knows how to make these golems. You must teach the carpenters and miners what to do. I'll deal with Vulcan, don't worry. And yes, you'll be paid for your help."

I hadn't asked for money, but I wasn't going to complain.

Thus, there I was, giving the sculptors and carpenters a crash course on basic human anatomy. Sure, they could have made them dragon-shaped, the principle was probably the same, but it would take a lot more material.

It took a while, but most seemed to grasp it easily, going off to start working. Since I wouldn't be needed for a while, I decided to start working on leveling my small golem.

I was simply blinding some zombies, allowing my golem to pummel them into the ground. By the time the first dreadnaught spawned, my golem, which I'd renamed Lytos just to have something to call it by, reached level 8. Since hoarding points wouldn't really work, and it really needed some extra Hp, I used up the 20 points it gained. 9 into VIT to get it to 10, 5 into DEX and AGI each, and one to MAG for the hell of it. The description said it could use magic, so why not.

The dreadnaught was shit, to put it mildly. A quick **Blind** and my golem just punched it into a paste. It came close to hitting Lytos, though, but a quick **Mana Blast** was enough to keep it busy.

The whole cycle was done again three times. I didn't really get Xp from the enemies, except for the dreadnaughts, as I actually did some damage. Even then, it was half what it normally was.

After all that grinding, which net me a good amount of levels in **Tenebrae** and another 2 points in MAG, bringing me at 30, a new enemy appeared.

***ding***

**Undead manticore (+25% STR, VIT, AGI)**

**Lv: 15**

**Hp: 250/250**

**Mp: N/A**

**STR: 22 (27.5)**

**VIT: 25 (31.2)**

**AGI: 17 (21.2)**

**DEX: 11**

**MAG: 0**

**LUK: 0**

**Aspects: Exanimis(25); Bestia(20)**

**Boss rank: 2**

**An undead manticore. Simple, no? Be careful, it's strong. And hungry. Watch the stinger.**

Thee manticore wasn't too dissimilar from a normal lion… except that it was two meters (6 ft 5) at the shoulder, and that it had tattered wings, and the scorpion tail. At least it shouldn't be able to fly with those shredded wings.

While it was decently strong in the damage department, it was clumsy. Very clumsy compared to me. But Lytos…

I pulled up his status, bringing his AGI to 19, DEX to 18 and STR to 10, using up all and 25 its points.

We were ready. I started immediately with a **Blind**, sending off also a couple **Mudo** to give us an edge. Also a **Drain** because why not, dealing 50 points of damage. Lytos, who actually got bigger, standing at 5 ft 4, (1.65 meters), rushed in and started punching its face like no tomorrow. It wasn't doing much damage, but a couple placed spells stopped the manticore from retaliating. Another **Drain** and it went down. Quick and easy. Although…

**Lytos: 174/230 Hp**

Lytos did take some damage. Fortunately, it was easy for it to fix itself: all it had to do was put some dirt where it was hurt to patch up the damage.

**Field boss: Undead manticore killed! You gained 1.875 Xp each! You gained 450 Gp! You obtained ×3 manticore ribs, ×2 manticore bones.**

**Daniel leveled up! (29 – 30) You gained 5 Stat points!**

The usual point in LUK, and… wow. I had 100 free stat points. I could definitely do something useful with them… nah! Better to keep hoarding like a lunatic!

The Gp were definitely welcome, considering that I would need to buy a crapload of crystals in order to make the golems. And about the drops…

**Manticore bone (uncommon, material)**

**A bone which belonged to a manticore. You could build something with it. Or feed it to a dog.**

**xXxXx **

**Manticore rib (uncommon, material)**

**A rib which belonged to a manticore. You could build something with it. Or feed it to a dog.**

Aside from the lackluster description, I actually had an idea. I could make golems of wood, so why not other organic materials? I would just need a lot of bones and a way to keep the crystals in place. That could work…

Anyways, back on track! While Lytos wasn't that powerful, It would only keep growing, and in the future it'd be a force to be reckoned with! If we kept it up like this, it would be as strong as a normal dragon in time for the ambush.

But it was time to stop. I had some more golems to create.

Thankfully, the recipe for the Salis Mundus could be sized up when needed. When I came back, we had three stone golems and five wood golems ready to start moving. The wood golems were slightly taller than me, standing at 1.9 meters (6 ft 2). The stone golems on the other hand, were pretty rough in design, and reminded me of a gorilla rather than a human, but it actually worked for their job: heavy hitters and tanks. The wood ones would instead be sentinels and archers, if what I had in mind worked.

Firstly, while I had one dragon working on a big bowl of Salis Mundus, I pulled out a new type of crystal that I purchased for this experiment: Sensus. In theory, this should enhance my golem's sensory capability.

As per my request, the head of one of the wood golems had four slots instead of one. I placed in it two cognitio and two sensus crystals. The rest of the body was the same: one Victus, and four Motus. A quick sprinkle of dust all over and a recitation of the incantation, and the golem moved.

**Skill: Golems leveled up! (2 – 3)**

Nice.

***ding***

**Unnamed golem – Wood (+10% VIT, +20% DEX, AGI)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 13**

**Hp: 230/230**

**Mp: 10 (Locked)**

**STR: 15**

**VIT: 10 [23] (25.3)**

**AGI: 13 (15.6)**

**DEX: 17 (20.4)**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 10**

**Aspects: Arbor(20); Cognitio(30); Sensus(20); Motus(25)**

**A golem made of wood. While not as quick as a grass or vine golem, it is decently fast and has good accuracy. It is quite smart.**

***ding***

**Since you kept searching for a certain detail, {Observe} was modified! New parameter: IQ**

I definitely appreciated the modification to the spell: at least I'd have something a bit more concrete to understand a golem's intelligence. This one had… an IQ of 70… not really much compared to a normal person, but it was decent. Comparing it to Lytos.. yeah, it had only 30. I would need to modify it. I was starting to get attached to the bugger. Maybe I'd manage to give it an actual mind.

No matter. There was one last thing I needed to check. I went to the **Shop**, and purchased a bow and a quiver with fifteen arrows for 35 Gp. All of it was in a pack for beginner archers, but it would work. I gave the golem the items, and it immediately understood how to put on the quiver. I then carved a small 'X' on one of the logs outside, and commanded the golem to shoot at the mark. It missed three shots, before it got used to the bow, and then began hitting the mark with some decent accuracy. Not the best, but it worked.

We had our archers.

I quickly made my way trough the other four wood golems, and asked one of the guards who were supervising my work if he could ask Frost about getting some bows and arrows for these guys. Once he left, I got to work on the stone golems: these ones I was testing out another hunch with. In particular, they had three openings in their head, two in both arms, two in the chest and one for each leg. They'd be all covered with metal once I was done.

Firstly, two Cognitio and one Sensus in the head. They didn't need much range, as they would fight close and personal. Then, two new toys of mine: Telum and Tutamen. These two were respectively raw attack and defense vis. One Tutamen in the chest along with the Victus, and one Telum for each arm, along with Motus. That should increase the damage they did, and lessen what they took.

**Skill: Golems leveled up! (3 – 4)**

Man, was I enjoying the experimentation.

**Unnamed golem – Stone (+30% STR, +20% HP)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT every level)**

**Lv: 15**

**Hp: 350 (420/420)**

**Mp: 10 (Locked)**

**STR: 25 (32.5)**

**VIT: 20 [35]**

**AGI: 9**

**DEX: 10**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 10**

**Aspects: Terra(30); Cognitio(15); Sensus(10); Telum(40); Tutamen(20)**

**IQ: 65**

**A golem made of rocks. It is very slow, but incredibly powerful and sturdy. The infusion with particular aspects increased its combat abilities.**

Oh, so the massive boost to STR and Hp wasn't par per course with normal rock golems? Interesting.

Nonetheless, also the three rock golems were made. With that, I bid goodbye to everyone and left. I was going to swing by Arashi's and get some quick dinner. After that, I'd work a bit on powering up Lytos, and finally it was time to level grind for me too. I would need to spam IDs until I'd be able to make more powerful foes, but… eh. Gotta do what you gotta do.

The Xp gains were starting to become too low to matter lately.

* * *

**-Night of Day 8, ID, Daniel's POV-**

It took some maneuvering and changing stuff a bit, but I managed to give Lytos two Sensus and one more Cognitio in its head. Plus, the chest now had two Tutamen crystals and an extra Victus, along with one Telum for each limb.

The result was… great.

**Lytos – Magic infused dirt (+55% STR; +35% VIT, +15% MAG; +20% DEX, AGI; +10% HP)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT every level)**

**Lv: 13 (2475/2600)**

**Hp: 230 (253/253)**

**Mp: 20/20**

**STR: 10 (15.5)**

**VIT: 10 [23] (31)**

**AGI: 19 (22.8)**

**DEX: 18 (21.6)**

**MAG: 2 (2.3)**

**LUK: 6**

**Stat points: 0**

**Aspects: Terra(15); Praecantatio(10); Cognitio(25); Sensus(10); Telum(40); Tutamen(20)**

**IQ: 75**

**A golem made of dirt which has been improved to hell and back. All the vis in this golem empowered it greatly, making it as powerful as it is intelligent (for a golem).**

The power boosts were downright unbelievable, but I could make some use out of it. At least I'd have someone to take the hits on my behalf, while I cut down everything. Thinking of that, I really needed some crowd control spells. I wanted to base myself on one of the elements I used mostly, as it would definitely get a boost. Being a jack of all trades, while not bad, was not that good of a choice either. Some specialization in certain areas would give me an edge, while I dabbled in other kinds of magic.

Maybe a widespread **Blind** would do it..? Or a multi-target **Mudo**…

According to what I read it was possible, but I'd need to figure out the correct aspect for the effect I wanted.

After some trial and error, I figured out the effects of certain elements when used as an added modifier. As I knew it, first came the element of the spell, then what the spell should do, then its extra effect.

First, I tried to use Aer, hoping it would make something like a blinding aura, or a cursed fog with **Mudo**.

**Smokescreen (Initiate, 15 Mp/m****3 ****)**

**\- Attribute: shadow**

**-Creates a dark cloud that covers visibility. Useful for a quick escape.**

**-Only affects beings with light-based vision.**

**-Screen will last 'Tenebrae magic' seconds.**

**xXxXx **

**Cursed fog (Initiate, 20 Mp/m****3****)**

**\- Attribute: dark**

**-A light fog which will deal continuous damage to those who breathe it. It will keep dealing damage for a short while even after the target leaves the fog.**

**-DMG: (MAG+ 'Vitium magic')/2 per second**

**-Lasts: 'Vitium magic' ×2 seconds**

**-Extra damage continues for 'Vitium magic' seconds.**

**xXxXx **

**Reaper's breath (Initiate, 50 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: death**

**\- An ominous wind blows trough the battlefield, instilling fear in your foes.**

**\- Causes effect: Fear as long as the wind blows.**

**\- Wind lasts for: 'Mortuus magic'×2 seconds**

The effects, while good for weakening foes, weren't what I was looking for. Thus, I tried another aspect: Sensus.

After a dozen or so failed castings, I managed to create something similar enough to the Sensus aspect to be serviceable. Got an extra MAG out of it, too.

**Mamudo (Initiate, 20 Mp/enemy)**

**\- Attribute: dark**

**\- A tracking version of {Mudo}. It can attack multiple enemies at once, as long as they are in the caster's line of sight. Has a low chance of instantly killing a foe.**

**\- Kill chance: 15%**

**\- DMG: see {Mudo}**

**\- Effects last for: see {Mudo}**

**xXxXx **

**Grand drain (Initiate, 15 Mp/enemy)**

**\- Attribute: death**

**\- A tracking version of {Drain}. It will drain Hp from multiple enemies, as long as they are in the caster's line of sight. Half of the total damage will be given to the caster as Hp.**

**\- DMG: see {Drain}**

Using Tenebrae with it didn't work, but I was ok with it. I would rather avoid using **Smokescreen **though, as it would make no difference between friend and foe, disorienting everyone.

My plan was as follows: as soon as they appeared, I would cast **Cursed fog** where they came from, weakening all the apes. Then, **Reaper's breath** would stagger them long enough for the golems to close in on them. After that… it would be a **Mamudo **and **Grand drain** feast. I would be better hanging behind and helping, as such I needed to increase my MAG something fierce. Also AGI would help.

Although… there was one last thing that was bugging me. What would the dragons say about me using such 'foul elements'? I needed some redeeming traits. Healing was the way to go. Plus, **Drain** would only heal me, and not whoever else would fight alongside me. Golems were one thing, as they just needed to patch up the holes and tears, but living beings…

I decided to spend the night in the ape ID, with Lytos holding an ape while I casted **Mudo** on it, and then **Cure**.

* * *

**-Day 9, Golem production center, Daniel's POV-**

It seems that these guys have been working nonstop for the whole night… or probably they just took shifts, as when I got here we had another four rock golems and seven wood.

The book about enchanting indicated that different aspects, when infused in an object, would have different effects, both good and bad. I wanted to see if it could be possible to give actual magic to a golem, and… well, it worked!

I'd implanted a Terra vis in each of Lytos's hands, and his MAG boost increased by 10%, along with allowing him to manipulate the earth by a small amount. I really needed to play around with him more.

Due to such a breakthrough, my level in **Golems** had increased again, reaching level 5. I was having a lot of fun making golems, I'll admit.

Due to my idea, I decided to try and give my golems more upgrades when possible, but not yet. For now, what we had was good enough.

Once I was done with the animation of the golems, I left, headed to the forge. I still had a day of work ahead of me.

"Ya know, if ya weren't going to pop up yesterday, ya could've at least told me."

"I'm sorry, but something important happened."

"And I'm sure that it doesn't involve the guards comin' here with a bunch or wooden thingies askin' fer bows an' arrows, aye?"

"Er…"

"Nor does it involve the weird armor pieces I was asked to make, aye?" He asked, lifting up the piece of metal in question.

"…It might…"

"Then get ta work."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

**-Evening of Day 9, Canaan, Daniel's POV-**

**Skill: Armor leveled up! (4 – 9)**

**Due to your grueling forging you gained +2 STR, +1 VIT, +1 DEX!**

We had A LOT of stuff to forge, I was surprised that we actually managed. I was definitely going to gain a lot of stats from the forge work. At least I had my pay, and I was just five rupees away from finally paying Arashi back for that thrice-damned table. Still, it was time to train.

Actually, I needed to increase my AGI again. A lot. Good thing that this desire coincided with my training schedule!

After a quick stop to make more golems, 3 rock and 6 wood, I moved into an empty ID, and begun my training immediately. I had also a way make it extremely beneficial: I made a new dirt golem, this time a small one, and made it hang on to my back the whole time. I also forced myself to not use my demon boost when working, so that I'd get the most out of it.

It was downright brutal.

It was worth it.

**Due to your hard (insane) training, you gained +8 AGI, +4 STR, +10 VIT, +3 DEX, +3 MAG, +2 LUK!**

The LUK was probably due to the many times where I'd almost fallen off a tree. The MAG instead… well, I didn't use my demon form, but I compromised on using magic after the third hour. My breaks were almost nonexistent, but the gains were worth the pain.

I was feeling absolutely amazing, my power was greater then ever, and I was FAST AS FUCK BOIIII!

Also the increased Hp was nice. I decided to keep the little golem in my inventory until I'd need it again.. maybe I should keep it on always while training. The boosts would definitely stack up quickly.

* * *

**-Day 10-**

Not much to note here. 7 extra rock golems, 11 wood golems, and more forging. Got my pay, and almost threw it in Arashi's face. That table was more trouble than it was worth. Whenever it would be that I moved out, I'd bring that table with me. Had to pay it? Now it was mine! I even put it in my inventory, just out of spite.

At night it was time to level grind. I just spent the night killing apes. Fought also the Field boss: Ape warlock. Basically a beefier shaman, not too much trouble. The biggest problem was its fireballs, but both Lytos and I got fast enough to avoid them.

I gained 6 levels, bringing me to 36, and Lytos got 10, going up to 23.

* * *

**-Day 11-**

This day was mostly spent just with me once again helping Vulcan in making bows, arrows and plating for the golems. Although, since I'd offered to Léi my help in the upcoming battle, she'd given me some rupees to get some actual armor. I decided to make it myself.

**Iron chainmail: Human (Uncommon, Complex)**

**DUR: 40/40**

**Protection: 10**

**A chainmail shirt made by Daniel Samuels. A great help in any fight.**

**xXxXx **

**Iron chestplate: Human (Rare, medium)**

**DUR: 55/55**

**Protection: 17**

**A chestplate made by Daniel Samuels. Heavy, but will save your life.**

**xXxXx **

**Iron shin guards (Uncommon, medium)**

**DUR: 40/40**

**Protection: 7**

**Shin guards made by Daniel Samuels. You won't have to fear the mighty shin kick.**

**xXxXx **

**Iron helmet (Uncommon, Intricate)**

**DUR: 35/35**

**Protection: 5**

**Helmet made by Daniel Samuels. Not very pretty to look at, but is serviceable.**

After all that forging, I had an idea: I had enchanted my bracers, so why not everything else?

Thus I gave my chestplate a **Protection boost**, my shin guards got an **AGI boost**, the chainmail got a **Magic protection boost**, and the helmet… I didn't know what to put on it, but I decided on **LUK** **boost**. I would need it.

Then, at night, it was time to do skill training once more. I decided to split my time between **Swords**, **Unarmed**, **Mortuus** and **Sano**, to bring them more up to snuff. The halberd was good when I had a lot of space, but for such a packed fight? Yeah, a sword would be better. And if, by some chance, I were to be disarmed… they'd need to dis-arm me before I was out of the fight!

Ok, bad pun. I'll get to work. Oh, but first I pulled out my little golem again. Might as well crunch in some extra stats.

* * *

**-Day 12-**

Some good work was made last night. My **Unarmed** and **Swords** passed level 30, upgrading both the **Striker **and **Gladiator** perk to level 3, giving 15% extra damage. Due to the absolute bullshit that is the magic level up system, **Mortuus** reached 41, without giving me any perks… I suppose it has to balance somewhat. Best part though is that **Sano** reached… 62! No idea how I managed, as I just kept using it on apes for hours upon hours on end. The nifty thing of it was that once I reached level 50 in it, I gained a perk:

**Healing Amp**

**\- Healing spells have 25% more effect**

And finally, the absolute top to this: all the Xp I got from the skills pushed me up to level 40, and my training improved my stats like hell! 4 STR, 5 VIT, 3 AGI, 5 DEX and 6 MAG! All of those, combined with the bonuses I got from leveling up brought my base STR and MAG over 50!

My rewards were:

**Power of the underdog**

**\- When fighting an enemy of higher level than you, STR increases by 25%**

**xXxXx **

**Mana magnet**

**\- Mp regen is doubled**

**\- Max Mp increases by 25%**

That was downright insane. When using a my boosts, as in: **Lesser demon body**, **Power burst**, **Overdrive**, and adding in **Power of the underdog** if activated, my total STR was… 85.8.

And that was absolutely awesome, considering that my base STR was 52! It was over 33 points bonus! _"I'm shaping up to be one hell of a bruiser, that's for damn sure… I should up my training for all the other stats. Should I use some points..? Not yet. I'm going to keep them until I have enough stacked up to propel me into godhood if I used them… until level 100 should be enough. At that point the training would slow down like all fuck too."_

With such accomplishments under my belt, it wasn't surprising that I felt more than ready to take on 100 measly apes. I did so two days earlier in my ID, how hard could it possibly be to do so also in the real world?

Well, the golem production was done, as we needed to secure the city. 35 wood golems and 20 rock golems were definitely some good reinforcements… Methinks that once I'm bound to leave this dimension I'll take 'em with me. A small army would definitely do me good. They were pretty trash-tier compared to the levels I'd reached already, but they could deal with whatever uppity little shit thought they could fight me when I didn't have the time for it.

Whoa there, those thoughts were going too far in the 'evil overlord' route. Not gonna touch that with a mile-long stick.

As everyone was helping secure the town, I was left without anything to do in the day. As such I decided to just take my basic thaumaturgy book, and read trough the descriptions of the aspects, thinking up different combinations I could try.

* * *

**-Night of Day 12, just outside of Canaan, Zilan's POV-**

"_I really hope that that idiot listened to what I sent him."_

Currently, I was getting ready for the upcoming fight. Or at least, giving the impression of it. I was planning to just stay in the back, and run away as soon as we started getting decimated. Full-grown dragons wouldn't have too much trouble dealing with a bunch of apes, even these many. Of course, that was why we were planning to attack at night: that way we would surprise the dragons.

Although, if I was right, that would backfire horribly.

Once I was done checking my supplies, I directed myself to the last briefing before the attack. What I saw when I arrived, though, gave me pause. Giant bat-like beings were circling the camp, each being tended to by one of the smaller breeds of apes. There was no doubt, they were dreadwings! When did they even get there? I had no idea, but one thing was certain. Egul was taking this battle seriously.

I had no choice though, but mask my panic as confusion and go on. Once I was within earshot, I listened intently to the Commander.

"Alright, men! You should all be aware of the plan by now, but since I know a lot of you are utter idiots, I'll explain once more! Seventy-five of us will be attacking the main gate, along with ten dreadwings! This attack will be a distraction, as the other twenty-five will be sneaking in the town from the other side! That group will kidnap as many dragons as possible, preferably the younger ones, and put them in the cages that the dreadwings will then be dragging away! Once that is done, they will leave and come back to the camp! The leader of the infiltrating group has a horn, that he will use to signal that they are done! At that signal, we will retreat! Everyone got it?!"

An excited roar surged forth from the mass of apes around me, and I forced myself to join the cheer, despite my dislike of the current situation. That definitely hadn't been the plan before! Did they change it at the last minute? Did they know there was a spy in their midst?!

All questions without answer for me. It was improbable that they knew, considering that I'd been extremely cautious, and also that I hadn't done anything really out of the norm for me. Or at least, not in their opinion.

I had to warn that fool. He'd probably have my head if I didn't, either way.

* * *

**-Daniel's POV-**

**Message from: Zilan Astaroth**

**The plan was changed at the last minute. They brought dreadwings. A group of apes will try to sneak in, while the brunt of the troops will cause a distraction at the gates.**

Shite. This can't be good.

I tried to bring it up to Frost, but he was too busy preparing for the attack, and didn't really listen. It seemed that they'll have to deal with the apes on their own. They're more than enough anyway. As such, I took some golems with me as backup. Just three: two wood and one rock. I doubt that they'll feel their absence anyway. My plan was as follows: each wood golem would team up with either the rock one or Lytos, and go keep watch for the sides of the walls. I would run as fast as I could, and reach the other side of the walls, alone. If the golems spotted the apes, the wood one would run back to me, while the other would remain and stall for time.

Time to put this plan in motion.

Not even a minute later I was standing behind a house, doing my best to hear anything that would imply apes in the area. Nothing happened for one minute, two minutes, five minutes…

Then the sound of hurried steps from behind alerted me. I turned around, and immediately spotted one of the two golems I sent for the walls. Specifically, the one I'd sent with Lytos. I recognized it due to the scratches around the left side of its face: it was one of the first, and as such the carpenters got a bit clumsy.

Still, its presence here meant one thing: apes at the southern wall. Moving as quick as my 30 AGI allowed me to, I made my way to Lytos's position. Thanks once again for the markers on the minimap. While not telling me the exact coordinates, at least I was shown in which direction to go.

Once there, I took a couple seconds to assess the situation: Lytos was managing about seven apes on his own, with three on the ground in various states of disfigurement. I noticed one in particular that was trying to hang back, and certainly enough, that was Zilan. Unfortunately, fourteen other apes were running to and fro, jumping into windows and escaping with young dragons in their arms. They would then throw them in side of a cage, and be on their way to get another one.

Inside the cages I noticed also two familiar yellow and red specks.

Immediately, Ii turned to the currently unengaged apes, and let loose a **Mamudo **trough the Vitium wand I crafted some days ago, after the Aqua one. I hit only nine of them, as the spell was based on line-of-sight to track my enemies. Good enough, though, as with their low Hp they'd die in four to five seconds. Maybe six. With those apes clawing at the spot they were hit in and howling in agony, I moved on to the remaining five.

They'd witnesses what I did and definitely didn't want to encounter the same end; they jumped at me like rabid animals… which wasn't _that_ far from the truth. I didn't even need to use my magic or weapons: one quick punch in the face with my 52 STR and they went down, either with their skulls caved in or with serious concussions.

Once I was done, I was about to move to help Lytos, but it seemed that I wasn't required as the apes that were previously engaging him opted to retreat.

Powerful wingbeats attracted my attention, and I hoped that some dragons had noticed the chaos and were coming to help.

My hope died an ugly fucking death.

In the sky I could see a bunch of gigantic bats. They looked purple to me, but there wasn't enough light to be sure.

***ding***

**Nameless dreadwing – Pack leader (+50% to physical stats when leading others)**

**Race: Dreadwing (+1 AGI and STR every level)**

**Lv: 35**

**Hp: 450/450**

**Mp: 10 (Locked)**

**STR: 30 (65) [97.5]**

**VIT: 45 [67.5]**

**AGI: 40 (75) [112.5]**

**DEX: 35 [52.5]**

**MAG: 1**

**LUK: 24**

**Aspects: Bestia(30); Volatus(15); Perditio(20)**

**IQ: 50**

**A dreadwing trained by apes to be used as a mount during combat. It is the leader of its squad, and as such the strongest. It can match a dragon in physical combat, even though it is just an animal.**

"_Damn, that thing's powerful… I have to be careful… should also try to pick off the other ones to weaken it. How powerful are those, anyway?"_

The answer was: not too much. They were level 30, sure, but the leader's strength came mostly from being around its pack members. Dealt with those, it would be a cakewalk.

With half a strategy in mind, I immediately used a **Grand drain** to weaken all of them, along with another **Mamudo**.

Those two attacks took a huge chunk of their energy, and it was still going! The dreadwings were wobbling, enfeebled both my the huge chunk of energy they'd lost and also by the pain caused by **Mamudo** eating at their flesh. I don't think I ever described how it looks, did I?

It looks a bit like a black patch of skin, bubbling and sizzling. Kind of like black acid, in a way. It keeps spreading trough the body, burrowing deeper in your tissues. At first it wasn't too awful, like a couple of scratches… I may have messed up some castings here and there.

Now, though? It was like being sprayed with acid. And not the weak, normally used one. I'm talking about industrial acid. The powerful stuff. I had no idea how it would feel at maximum level, but… I had a feeling that whoever would be hit by that wouldn't have the time to even register the damage before dying. It was that scary.

Back to the matter at hand, some of the dreadwings had fallen down to the ground, and Lytos had taken it upon himself to relieve them of their suffering. Such a good boy.

With that, only two dreadwings remained airborne. As the damage worsened, I noticed something peculiar: the leader was taking less damage that the other dreadwing. Could it be connected to its higher stats? Some sort of hidden stat that reduced magic damage?

"_Get your head in the fight, nitwit!"_ I chastised myself, and returned my attention to my enemies.

The normal dreadwing had fallen down… peppered with arrows? I turned around and there was the wood golem I'd left in the dust. I completely forgot about it. Would it even get Xp? Probably not.

The leader had managed to weather the damage surprisingly, and was trying to pull up one of the cages.

"Hell no you don't! **Drain**!" As the last of its energy was sapped away, the ape on its back tried to jump at me. I hadn't even noticed that there were apes on them. Damn Lytos hogging all the Xp.

I didn't even bother moving, I just backhanded it into the ground. Really hard. Its head left a red smear in its way… it was pretty gross.

And as I looked around, I noticed that all that was left was me, my golems and the young dragons. The apes were either dead or ran away.

***ding***

**Battle complete!**

**Skill: Unarmed, Vitium, Divine leveled up! (33 – 34), (26 – 27), (17 – 19)**

**Daniel gained: +4232 Xp! Daniel leveled up! (40 – 41) You gained 5 Stat points!**

**Lytos gained: +4275 Xp! Lytos leveled up! Lytos gained 5 Stat points!**

Decent enough of a reward, sure, but I wasn't concerned with that. Firstly, I had to free the dragons. A quick series of **Power burst**-empowered punches destroyed the locks, and allowed the young dragons to come out. Slowly, me and my golems managed to herd them back to their homes, where they were greeted back by their parents, which didn't seem to have been aware of their disappearance. A true testament to the ape's stealth skills.

Once that was taken care of, I ran as fast as I could to the side where the brunt of the forces were still. As I ran there, a horn rung out. I didn't think much of it, but when I reached the actual battleground I was forced to reconsider: it was probably a call for retreat, as the few apes that remained quickly ran away.

Hurriedly, I went to find Captain Frost, to see what had happened on this side. I found him down in the battlefield, directing his troops to search trough the apes for any that were still alive and to clean the area. As soon as he saw me though, he spit an ice spike at me. I jumped back to avoid it impaling my legs, and kept an eye on him in case he had more things to spit.

"What gives, dude?! I thought you'd won!"

He had quite the stink eye, I'll admit. "Oh, we did. Although I'd like to know why you didn't warn us of the dreadwings, _dude,_" he uttered the last word with do much venom that I was sure he was about to start frothing at the mouth.

"I tried! But you were too busy to listen to that!"

The wanker spit _another_ ice spike at me. "And when was it that I didn't listen?! You know damn well that both I and Elder Léi gave you our complete attention multiple times over!"

"Just before the battle! That's when I learned it myself!"

_Another _one. "And speaking of, if you knew, then where were you? Hidden away, or maybe you were helping the enemy? What the fuck where you doing?!"

"The main force was just a diversion. Another group snuck in from the side while you were all busy and tried to kidnap some dragons, amongst which your daughter!"

I saw his eye twitch. "Are you serious." he didn't make it sound like a question, although it felt like one.

"Deathly so. You have multiple dragons that can testify to it."

Frost brought a wing to his face in something similar to a facepalm… facewing? Maybe. He then sighed.

"I suppose I should apologize for the whole… shouting and almost impaling you thing."

I shrugged. "It's alright. I mean, I'm not happy about this, but I get where you're coming from." Then, I remembered what I'd come to him for. "Oh, right. How did the battle go, anyway?"

He grimaced. "We won, but many soldiers were injured, more or less gravely. Fortunately none died, but I still feel like I failed them for every injury."

A metaphorical lightbulb lit up over my head. "I could heal at least some of them! Sure, my healing isn't all that great, but I can help at least a bit."

Frost gave me a flat, impassible look. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Without another word, he started leading me to wherever the injured soldiers were.

* * *

I managed to fully empty my Mp with all the dragons I had to heal. At least **Sano** got another level out of it, but it didn't help that much. A level 63 would seem much, but considering that my only healing spell, **Cure** healed only as many Hp as my MAG added to my **Sano** level… as it was it could only heal just 115 Hp. And considering that all trained dragons had somewhere between 5 to 6 hundred Hp… yeah, it was like filling up a tub one bucket at a time. Not impossible, but time-consuming.

I really needed much stronger spells, both for myself and the ones that I cared about. I felt strong, but… I was nothing still. I could hold my own to a dragon if I went full force, sure, but… I had a feeling that I'd be facing much stronger beings. I needed to improve.

***ding***

**New quest: On becoming a mage (2/?)**

**Rank: C**

**Objectives:**

**-Gain 3 'Acolyte' rank spells (0/3)**

**-Get MAG to 100**

**-Get a magic-related skill to 100 (+4.000 Xp, +250 Gp, new perk)**

**Bonus:**

**-Gain a spell of 'Expert' or higher rank (+1.000 Xp, +10 Skill token for each spell)**

It would take a lot of trial and effort, but it was definitely feasible. I was ready.

* * *

**And here is chapter 5! Did you like it? No? Yes? Whatever! I am not going to stop anyway!**

**Next chapter will bring a lot of new things to table, so get ready! On to the reviews!**

**Dylan-A-Friend: Uh... you keep writing only one word... are you alright?**

**Ethhar: I would, but I'm having some trouble with my pc. It's and old, battered piece of scrap, so it barely runs vanilla minecraft, let alone the mods. I need some better hardware.**

**Spyro fanboy: I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**I want to thank everyone for their support, although I would appreciate some more reviews. I like to keep a discussion with my readers, and you can be assured that I read every single review or PM! So come on, review and support this story!**


	6. 1-6 In death's sights

**Still no beta guys, sorry for any mistakes.**

* * *

**-****Day ?, ?, Egul's POV-**

"My lord, it mortifies me to say so, but the assault on Canaan failed. Three quarters of the troops were decimated, and—"

"Enough. Get out of my sight."

"Y-Yes, my lord."

As I watched the incompetent fool retreat, I couldn't help but frown at the news. While admittedly the losses weren't too bad, only about 70 between apes and dreadwings, our forces didn't have the numbers they had during the last war. I'd have to play it smart.

I browsed the report on the battle, looking for what we had done incorrectly. I couldn't allow myself to lose even more troops: support from the populace was a fickle thing, I couldn't jeopardize it like that.

The biggest problem seemed to have been the golems. How had they acquired them? Goleomancy was almost dead, just one of those golems would have cost a fortune, let alone fifty of them! Of course, I couldn't base myself entirely on the reports of my troops: the heat of the battle tends to disrupt one's concentration. It was more realistic that the golems were between thirty and forty. Still, 'realistic' is a term best used loosely in this case.

Maybe the goleomancer lived in the town? Might they have taught the dragons? In that case it might be a good choice to add them to our troops.

As I was planning that, I stumbled upon an interesting passage written by the leader of the infiltration team; apparently there was a new player in this game of war. A being reminiscent of a mix between us apes and the Cheetahs, who fought along another golem, wielding both magic and fist. Its spells had effects similar to the most powerful poisons ever made by our alchemists, burning the flesh and sapping life away. Its physical prowess seemed on par with a dragon too, so even if we were to get rid of its ability to use magic somehow, it could fight us off nonetheless.

And if that monster and the goleomancer were actually the same being… not a pleasant prospect.

Diplomacy seemed like our best bet to bring it on our sides. But what would it want? Riches, possibly? Greed was a big part of any being. Maybe it was a being guided by battle lust, and the prospect of many fights would entice it? Could it be actual lust? Something could be arranged on that.

Only time would tell, of course.

I couldn't forget, though, that it could be unwilling to switch sides. Maybe it was sweet on some dragon? Did it have… friends, among them? A deal could be struck in that prospect too, maybe some protection for those few individuals.

In the worst case possible, though, we might need to get rid of it permanently. A shame, but a king must do what they must to help their people.

My people… still feels so weird to say it. I knew I was their king and that they were my people, but…I still hadn't gotten used to it. Who could blame me? I… I wasn't ready. I still had so much to learn. And yet… I had to do my best for my people. They were counting on me.

We'd been subjugated long enough. It was time for the apes to rise, like the superior beings that we were! We had been kicked down, chained, enslaved and cursed! Now, it was time for revenge.

* * *

**-Day 13, Canaan, Daniel's POV-**

While **Auromancy** was powerful in its own right, I had neglected my own magic. As such, I had finally gotten around to reading that book on elemental magic that I borrowed from the library. The theory itself didn't seem too complex, but putting it in practice would be a challenge.

The first point was to get in contact with my magic core, which I had already done. Then, I would have to study my mana and its reactions with the world around me. It could take hours, according to the book. At least I had a free day.

While I wasn't exactly patient, I could keep my mind set on a certain task if I really had to. So, I felt my mana. I let it flow, observing the different streams. From my core, which was about at the height of my diaphragm, it would flow down to my legs, return, and go into my back and to my head. From there, it would refresh itself in my core, and then gointo the arms. So, instead of two streams like blood, there were three streams in constant motion. I noticed that a very small part of my mana would be exuded out of my skin constantly.

My hypothesis was that it was the excess mana created by my core, represented by my Mp regen. A random idea popped up in my head, and I tried to prevent the mana from leaving my body.

***ding***

**New spell created!**

**[Unnamed] (Acolyte, no cost)**

**-No energy is wasted. Go over your limits.**

**-Max Mp is temporarily increased by half of your Mp regevery minute.**

**-Once excess Mp is used, Max Mp is lowered by the amount used.**

**-Cannot increase Max Mp to more than double the normal capacity**

I was… absolutely ecstatic. Sure, the fact that the spell had a limit was a bummer, but it still was double the Mp! Immediately I used it, and watched my Max Mp tick up every minute. Normally, keeping in mind also my perk **Mana Magnet**, I had a Max Mp of 650 and an Mp regen of 104 per minute. This spell would eliminate one of **Mana Magnet**'s effects, sure, but it would make it so much better in the long run!

In one minute, my Mp shot up to 702, and one minute later 754, then again at 806… you get it. In a bit over ten minutes my Mp had shot up from 650 to 1300! Truly a broken skill.

A bit of math later and I calculated that every point in MAG would net me 24/25 Mp, instead of the normal 10!

…I wasn't sure how the game dealt with decimals.

I just had to find a way to do so with Hp, now… maybe later.

I had to find a name for the spell, though… bah, **Mana Storage **would do. My naming sense was really all over the place, wasn't it?

No matter. I got back to my studying of mana, this time letting it flow outside uninhibited, observing carefully the reactions of the air around me. I noticed that if I released more mana, the air around me would heat up… by a degree or two, but it was noticeable if I changed the quantity quickly.

The book went on to explain that elemental signatures affected the world differently: a fire signature would increase the heat around the user passively, while a decrease would make it colder. Static electricity, dry or damp air, lower wind resistance, all of those were possible effects. It seemed that my signature was fire… to nobody's surprise.

In order to actually manifest it, though, one should be able to 'rewrite reality' a bit, in order to create their element. It then went on in detail about different exercises that could be done to help manifest an elemental signature… Imma call it 'affinity', because 'signature' sounds just too posh.

So, in order to manifest my affinity, I had to try and create a small flame. First with something flammable in my hand, then with an empty hand. Thankfully, I had enough experience with channeling mana trough items in order to manage a simple was a painstakingly slow affair, but I managed to keep a grip on my mana while I made it climb the very non-magical piece of wood. At the top, I concentrated as much mana as I could manage, and then commanded it to release all the stored power.

Half of the stick exploded.

I took a deep breath, and tried a different tactic. This time, I tried to make the mana expel energy little by little.

It became a glowstick.

* * *

**-15 Minutes later…-**

"_Why won't this shit WORK! Just burn the wood! I want fire! Smoke! Charcoal! Embers! Heat! BURRRRRRRRNNNNN!"_

Amazingly, it worked. The third-to-last stick I had finally burned! I swung the stick around, trying to see if it would dispel, and it held! I tried feeding the flame more mana, and the flame visibly increased in size.

***ding***

**New perk: **

**Natural Fire Affinity**

**\- Increases base Fire affinity by 15**

**xXxXx**

**Tier 1 affinity unlocked: Fire**

'**Affinity' tab open!**

**Item effects recalibrated!**

"_Wait, what?"_

I opened the tab.

**Affinities:**

**-Fire: 1 (+15)(+ 10) = 26**

**\- Dark: 4 (+10) (+5) = 19**

**\- Death: 3 (+10) = 13**

**\- Shadow: 2 (+10) = 12**

**\- Water: 1**

So it showed what I had from the highest to the lowest? Legit. But… what were all those bonuses? I knew the +15 to fire, but the others…I tapped one of them, confused.

***ding***

**+10 to Fire affinity due to demonic ancestry**

Huh. Ok. What about…

***ding***

**+10 to Death affinity due to effect of: [Voodoo cloak]**

Was that what it meant by 'recalibrated item effects'? Seriously?! That was a huge nerf! Dynamic boosts are the best! Look at all my passives!

While I was grumbling about the lack of justice in the world, I got back to my exercises.

A solid five minutes later, I was staring at my hand, trying to make a floating flame. I had the theory down, but that didn't seem to help much.

In theory, I would have to make the mana burn the oxygen in the atmosphere. Simple as that.

Of course, life had a way to fuck with me unlike anything else.

"_Maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong perspective? The fire did get bigger when I fed it more mana, so… would it be mana-fueled?"_

With a new hypothesis at the ready, I gave the exercise one more try. This time, though, I used a much more substantial amount of mana than I did when I used the stick. For a second, a compact sphere of mana was visible, before it burst into flames.

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation reached level MAX!**

**Skill: Manipulation can evolve. Will you let it?**

**Y/N**

Huh… impressive. I thought it would have one hundred levels, but it seemed it only had 10 before reaching max. Nonchalantly, I accepted.

***ding***

**Skill: Manipulation evolved into Construct!**

"_Whaddaya mean 'construct'? Am I supposed to build stuff? Wait… manipulation was about using mana internally, so this probably means that I need to create things made of mana, or in other words… constructs."_

I decided to test that theory. I concentrated, and again I created the mana sphere, but this time I didn't let it burn. I tried changing its shape, and bit by bit it worked. Although, I could only give it the shape of that weird ball you use in american football… what is it even called? **(I really don't know.)**

Anyway, it got to be about that shape before it broke down. Still,** Construct** got a level, and since I could see the potential for destruction of this skill, I chose to keep experimenting with it.

The results were very appreciated.

**Mana bullet (Initiate, 40 Mp/shot)**

**\- A concentrated bullet of mana is propelled towards the enemy. Has a small chance to ignore any armor's protection.**

**\- DMG: 10+MAG**

**\- 10% chance to bypass armor protection**

**xXxXx**

**Magic knuckle (Initiate, 30 Mp, 10 Mp/sec)**

**\- Condense mana around your fingers, and deal devastating damage!**

**-Multiplies punch DMG by ×1.5**

**xXxXx**

**Mana spike (Initiate, 10 Mp/spike/sec)**

**\- Create a small spike made of mana. It isn't vey sturdy, but it's sharp.**

**\- DMG: 15/spike**

**\- Can be used in conjunction to {Mana knuckle}**

Also, **Construct** leveled up to five, and I got another point in MAG thanks to this. A good haul for several hours of work. My biggest pride was the knuckle/spike combo. It took 70 Mp to activate, and 50 every second to keep up, but it was downright devastating: if I went barehanded and used it, one of my punches would deal about 195Hp worth of damage without any boosts, and with every boost I could apply at a moment's notice the damage skyrocketed up to 224! And if, by chance, I were to get **Power of the underdog** activated, my damage would go to 254.

Every. Single. Punch.

That would be easily overpowered if I got a skill that allowed me to bypass the enemy's armor. True and utter ownage. Of course, my AGI and DEX would trouble me something fierce.

As such, cue the training montage!

**-That evening…-**

"Whoa!" The dragon ducked, narrowly avoiding the demon leaping over his head.

"Sorry!" I yelled over my shoulder, along with sprinting in an alley. From there, I jumped from wall to wall, and started leaping across the roofs.

"I'm fast as fuck boiiii!"

I couldn't help the reference, although it was true. I was way over the limits of a human, and with the small golem weighing me down (note to self: get a better way to do this), my training was just so much more intense! At that point I'd already gained 3 VIT, 8 AGI and 4 DEX by simply doing parkour as fast as I possibly could!**(Which is VERY fast, mind you. Mathematically, his base speed now is 56.6 Km/h, with the fastest speed for a human being 45 Km/h)**

Sure, my AGI and DEX were still lagging behind something fierce, but it was better than before.

With my speed training complete, I returned to my ID and pored over my elemental training. I really needed to stop being sidetracked , I tried to create a simple fireball. Creating the fire was the easy part; the real problem was giving it an actual explosive effect. Mostly it just dispersed semi-harmlessly, leaving a bit of soot. It was fixed quite easily, with a bigger dose of mana packed in the same ball. It was basically a fire-elemental **Mana Blast**…

**Agi (Novice, 20 Mp)**

**\- A simple fireball. Standard stuff, really.**

**\- DMG: MAG+[(Fire aff./4) × Pyromancy)**

Yeah, I got also a **Pyromancy** skill with it. Neat. Although, I was really left wondering why my spell names were ripped out of an SMT game. Oh, well.

Along with it, of course, I got the multi-cast **Maragi**. Their damage wasn't really much, but… eh. They got better the more I used them, so that was good. As it was, one **Agi** dealt 59 points worth of damage. It wasn't world-ending like **Mudo**, but it was probably just me being biased. I'd give it time before judging.

Although, the formula rose an interesting point…

**Query: How do I increase my affinities?**

**Answer: Either trough continued use, elemental contracts, passive boosts from equipment and whatnot, or you could find an item that will raise them permanently. They are quite rare, though.**

Interesting… what if I..?

I gave a quick search into the shop, to see how much an item to raise affinities would cost and… I wasn't happy. The cheapest I could find was a Harpy feather, it cost 3500 Gp a piece. And it only rose one's air affinity by 1. Might have to find those things myself… or go on a boss spree.

Actually…

**Query: Can I leave an ID open, even when I'm outside of it?**

**Answer: It is possible, but only when your {Divine} skill reaches level 35. And even then, someone else must be inside of it. And that is restricted only to the Party system. Exiting an ID and leaving a normal person inside will result in their death… unless the being is powerful enough to survive it.**

While understandable, the last part of the answer left me uneasy.

**Query: How strong must one be in order to survive an ID collapsing on them?**

**Answer: At least level 500.**

Huh. Ok. That seemed legit. At that point, you could be considered a god, or at least a demigod…right?

**Query: How strong are demigods?**

**Answer: The weaker ones are about a normal human's level, while the most powerful ones can reach 300 or so. There are exceptions.**

Oh. Ok. So god it is.

Welp, I really had a long grind ahead of me.

First, increase **Divine** up to 35, then get Lytos to decimate everything in the ID, and leave him there for a while… although I should at least see the rank 1 boss and the dungeon god. He might be a bit too weak for those just yet.

* * *

**-In the middle of the night-**

"Whoop! Damn finally!" I hollered in the safety of my empty ID, as I saw that my ID skill had reached level 35. An unholy amount of time was spent into leveling it up. I'd really need to put some work into it whenever I could.

Thanks to that whole mess, though, I got also two new dungeons: the grublin dungeon and the lesser golem dungeon. The grublins were at level 20, while the golems had level 35/40…

I was really behind with that stuff.

Nonetheless! Once my mana recharged, I went on into the zombie ID and left Lytos there, with one simple instruction: kill everything.

If it had a face, I'd have sworn it would have smiled in glee.

And with that taken out of the way, I left and entered again, to see if it worked. It did.

I left him to his own devices, giving an eye to his status every now and then, distributing points when needed. While it was supposed to be my turn to level grind, I didn't really give a damn. I needed a break.

Still, Lytos's levels kept piling up, along with the Gp he gained for me. I was right, then. I could gave someone else get the money for me. Sure, I would get no drops, but did I care? Nah.

* * *

**-Day 14, sunrise, Canaan-**

Soo… I may have made a mistake in judgement. The dungeon boss, a Lich, was… shit. It was only level 30! Sure, it may have offered some trouble with spells and whatever, but it didn't matter when Lytos just bashed its face in without a care.

Also… I may have underestimated how profitable boss farming would be…

I gained in one night over 35 THOUSAND Gp. I currently had over 41K. Golems for the win!

…and now that I was rich, I had no idea what to do with the money.

An idea popped into my head: the best way to get rid of money? Random shopping! Thus, I filtered the shop's entries from the most expensive.

…

**God's soul: Gp**

Fuck no.

So, what I had pretty much amounted to pocket change. Great. Should I be surprised?

Not really. Yet, I still was.

I just chose to let Lytos run trough the whole thing another couple times. Might as well see this 'dungeon god'. It would take a good couple hours, as such I decided to use my time in some way. Firstly, something that I'd put off for a bit too much: the spell upgrade scrolls.

I used one on **Mudo**, and the spell immediately became better.

**Mudoon (Acolyte, 40 Mp)**

**\- Attribute: dark**

**\- Shoots a bullet of dark mana that has a good chance to instantly kill an enemy. Sticks to the skin of the enemy, damaging them continuously. Damage stacks.**

**\- DMG: [MAG +(Vitium× Dark aff.)]/3 every second. **

**\- Lasts: 'Vitium' seconds**

Huh. So, it's mainly an increase in damage. I could work with that. A big increase, at that. A single **Mudoon** would deal 125 damage every second… I was becoming downright broken. Might have to take a week or so away from everything and just decimate everything in my IDs. Maybe that would be a challenge.

It was finally time for me to get to work, so…

…hold up. It's Saturday. Or Sundas, as they call it here. I have another day free .

Welp, might as well just go to sleep for a bit.

* * *

**-That afternoon…-**

Well, that was a good nap. Thank goodness for Vulcan allowing me that free day yesterday. I think that he needed it too.

***ding***

**Lytos leveled up! (31 – 43) Lytos gained 60 Stat points!**

**You have gained 75.000 Gp!**

"Holy shit. It's stronger than me."

What had I created.

Well, time to assign some stat points and to check up on him.

After increasing Lytos's stats, making him definitely stronger than me, unless I were to go all out, I popped into the ID. There, I came face to face with one thing I hadn't expected: Lytos was being forced back, and was actually trying to escape from his enemy.

I was forced to escape from a slash courtesy of said enemy. I popped an **Observe** to see what we were dealing with.

**Reaper –The harbinger of death (+50% STR, AGI, MAG, +400% Hp, Mp); Dark spirit (75% resistance to Dark and Death, immune to physical attacks)**

**Lv: 50**

**Hp: 100 (500/500)**

**Mp: 500 (2500/2500)**

**STR:50 (75)**

**VIT: 10**

**AGI: 50 (75)**

**DEX:60**

**MAG: 50 (75)**

**LUK: 30**

**Aspects: Exanimis(50); Spiritus(70); Alienis(200)**

**Boss rank: EX**

**The end-all, be-all of existence. Or at least, that's his job. He is one of the first and last beings, who will see the end of life itself. He has a great dislike for undead beings and immortals. Beware his scythe, but most importantly his spells. This is not an enemy to be taken lightly.**

Holy mother of fuck! That was awfully powerful! And what was up with the multiple titles?!

While I was concentrated on reading its description, Lytos finally decided to switch tactics, and used what little magic he could do to keep the reaper away. He managed to chip its side, dealing a very small amount of damage. Joining the fray as well, I tried to use my new **Agi**.

**494/500**

**Skill: Pyromancy leveled up! (1 – 2) +5 Xp!**

Shit.

Death by a thousand cuts it was… or burns in this case.

I jumped away from a dark green beam, and countered with another **Agi**.

**465/500**

I allowed myself a small grin. If one level was enough for such a big increase, then how about...

I toggled **Lesser demon body**, raising my stats, and continued to lay waste with **Agi**. The reaper was definitely not going at full power, as we'd been able to avoid its hits at all. Spells were a thing, but the swipes? It was way too fast; it was underestimating us.

Good.

Little by little, both my and Lytos's efforts managed to bring the reaper down to 220 hp.

It got pissed. Its speed was so high that I could barely follow it, let alone retaliate. I managed to avoid being too damaged, but I still received several grazes all over my body. Lytos tried to get it off me, but he did only about 10 damage for all his efforts. The reaper was still concentrated on me, and for good reason: most of the damage it had sustained had come from me, marking me as the prime target.

I had one way to buy some time, though. I let loose a **Smokescreen** and jumped away as soon as the reaper was coming for another swipe. While I was hiding in the foliage above, I tried to come up with a plan.

The best I had was to simply weaken it with **Drain** as it came close to me, and finish it in a kamikaze sort-of attack. Not the best thing, but I wasn't what you'd call a strategist. Maybe I could try to coat my hands in mana to keep it in one spot?

As it passed under me, I jumped down and tried to catch it. It moved back, and tried to slash at me. I dived under the hapzarded swing and got close enough to hold the reaper with one hand on its neck. The other cast multiple quick **Drains** on it, leaving it with only 12 Hp. I couldn't kill it, as it recovered enough to punch me in the face with all its 75 STR, sending me into a tree.

**Critical hit!**

**Hp: 118/440**

What were the chances?!

I wasn't able to finish it off, but it wasn't too much of a problem, as Lytos had used the time I bought to create the strongest earth spike he could, and sent it hurtling towards the reaper as soon as it had punched me. Lytos's aim was true, and the spear passed straight trough the head of the reaper.

**0/500**

I was about to whoop in excitement, but I quickly changed my mind. The screen started spazzing out, and when it calmed down, I was about to shit bricks.

**Thanatos - ?**

**Lv: Immeasurable**

**Hp: Infinite**

**Mp: Infinite**

**Error: Stats locked by target.**

**Error: Aspect locked by target.**

**Did you really think I wouldn't notice?**

I was just about to make a run for it, when I realized that I couldn't move. It wasn't fear-induced paralysis, I literally could hardly breathe! I had been able to feel start feeling a being's mana since I got used to it, but this? The mana was so thick I could barely breathe!

Then, Death itself spoke to me.

"**I͏͏t͢ ̶̶͝h̨҉a͠s̀͢ ҉b̡͜e̡en̷ ͢so ̶̛͟l̴͞ǫ́ǹg̸ ͘͠si̶n̶c̡͜è I̸ ̸͠ha͜͠v̡e̸̢ ̴̨͡s̶e̶̡è̛n͘ a̧̡ de̸m͟͢͞o̧ǹ͠͝ ͏ţh͘i̵s̢̨͟ ̡͢͡s̷͜t͟͞r̡̡͞o̧͠͞n̡g̡͘͡ ̨͜͞a͞t́ ̧͟ş̛u̵͜c͝h ́a ̷̵̨y̸̸ơ̶͟ù͝ng̡͜͏ ag͡e͝… ̵I͢͢ ҉̴̀ą͟m̢ ҉i̵͢m̴p̴͟r̵e͏̴͟s͜ś͟e͝d̴.̴̡ ̨Ţ͜e̴̴ļ̀l̢ ̷͝m͜e̛͝͏,̶ ̛c̢̨hil͏d̴.̢ ͏̡͜W̡hy̴̛ ̵̸̶wo̵u̧̧͟ld̶́͘ ͜y̕̕͜ou ̀͡th̶iņ̶k͠͞ ̕i̢ţ̵҉ ẁo͏͝ư͡l̀͢͟d be͘ ̨͝a ͟҉͡g̵̨̢ò̸͟ơd̵͟ ̡̕͜ìd͢͢e̵̛͜a͟҉ to̷ ͞f̛͘i̴̛g͠h̕t͏͜ ̶̢͝a҉̛͘ ̡͏r̶͢e̴a̶p͏̵͏eŕ̶͜?͡ ̨̛͞A҉̸ņ̷̷ ͘҉e͏x̕͞t̸́e̴ǹ̶s̨͞i̸o̢ń̶ ́ó̵͘f҉͡͠ ͟͠my̷ ̛p̴̧̛ower̨̢͢?̕**"

Its… his voice was distorted, and so powerful that it invoked in me a primal fear that I didn't believe possible. Was that what it felt like to be an ant in presence of an elephant? No, that wouldn't even begin to describe the abject terror that I was feeling right now. How was I even feeling something like that? **Gamer's mind** should have blocked it from reaching such a level!

"**Àh̴̶,̨ ̢̨͢y̨̡͡e̢͏́s͜.̸̵̡҉̧T̢h̴͘a̶̶͜t̢ ̛͏́l̨͘í͘t͠t̵͜ļ͠e̛̕͟ ͠҉p̴ąrl̷o͢͡r̷̀҉ ̵̶t̀͢ri͏ck̴̸̨ ͢t͏̶́h͏̴a̴͜t Loki͠͞ ̡͡͠c͝a͡s̨t ̧̕on ̸ỳ̕͞ǫ̀͠u͢͠.̶ ̴I͏t̷̵ i͝͝͝s͝͠ ǹot͏̛ ̧h̨͜ar̨̀͜d̴͜͢ ҉͠t̢̛͘o̢ ̵̢҉f͡i̧͏̶n͟͠ḑ́ h́ol̡͘e̢͏͘s in̛҉͟ ̴̨s̷u̧c̶̨ḩ̡ à̡̕ ŗừs͜h͏e̵͜d̀ ͝͏̨j̢̀͟o̷͘b̵̀.̀͝**" He muttered nonchalantly. Was he reading my mind? Why did I care? I was gonna die!

"**Ǫ͝h,̸̡͠ ͠n͜ǫt ̵̀͢t̵̀͘o ̵̢w̸̢͟o̷̵rr̴̢͞y. ̧͢Y͡o͡u͡ ͜w͟i̵̛l̵̛͠l̴͡ ̛́no̴͢t dį͘e ̧͟j̨͏͞uşt҉ ͝ye͠t̢̕;͜͠ ̶͝y̷o̸̡͜ú͜͠ ͝͝se͡͏è͞,̨͢ ̡̢̛I͝ ͟ám̧̨͡ ̢́͘c̨͟u̶̕͝ri̢̕͟ờu̷̴͠ş̛͏ ̴́̕a͏̧͜bo͘͠ut̶͠ ̸͟y̕ơu.̛͜ ̀͝Ś͝͝uc͟h̨ ͢a͏̨͝ ́y̴͝o̷u͜n͡g͞ b̕͟e҉͘͏i͢͝n̵̵g̡̢̕ ̷̧̢b̨͠est̶̡́i̢̕n̵g̡̕̕ o͢҉ne̶ ̛o͞f̕ ́m̶͏y r̵e̸͢a͠͝͠p̕e͜r̴s̴̕? T҉h̶̸͡a̵͞͝t ͟h̡͝á̸̛s̡͝ ̀͜no͞t͞͠ ̨͜h͘a͏͟͜p̕͠p̀ȩ̀ń͞ed͞҉ ҉̶̛i҉ņ̶ ̢͠a͡ v҉͘er̀͟y̷̕͜ ̸͘l̀͠͏o̢n͝g̸ ̛͟t͢͟i͢me̵; ̕͏s̶̀o ͝yo̷u ̶͘mu̡͘s͟t̷҉ ̢̕fo̷̧r̛҉g̛҉̧i͢v́̕e̸̴͡ ̛͠m̨ý̡͝ ́d̀́͜e̢s͏̵i̴̧r̛e̛͘ to͏ ̕ú̕nḑer̢̡̕s͏̷͜t̶̴̛a͝n͘̕d́ ̸̧ýơ͜u ̢a̶ ̶b̸́̕i͝t͏.**" So what? He wanted to sit me down for tea too? Was that a common thing for gods to do?

"**As͢ ̴m͏u͢c͢h as̷ ͟I wou****҉****ld͞ l̛iķe͘ t****҉****o ̧p̕eśt́e͘r ̢yo̸u w͘i͞th ̡q̵u͜e̢sti̶ón̵s̴ ̀a͡nd͢ to probe i̴n****҉****t̷o yo͠ur ̀mi****҉****nd͞,͏ ̷I ̸am a̵ ̴b̷u͘s͟y go͝d̵. ͡T͘h̨us****҉****, ̷I ͡sha̡l̕l̢ leave͜ ͝you w̕ith a͞ sm͏al͞l ͟par̴ting gif͠t̡ of ̕s͡o͝r̀ts͠. ͟Consįde̕r͏ ̶it͡ ̷a͠ re͡ward͝ for͜ ̢i͠mpr͟es͢s̵ing m͞e͠,̀ ͝an̛d ̨a͜n̵ ̢inc̶ènt̡i͢v̧e͏ ͜to̷ ͡k̕ee͘p̷ ̧ḑo̷in̨g ̨só.**" With that, he disappeared within his own shadow and his oppressing aura disappeared with him.

As I tried to get back some modicum of composure, multiple screens came into being in front of my eyes.

***ding***

**Dungeon god: Reaper lv 50 killed!**

**You and Lytos gained 12.500 Xp each! You gained 5.000 Gp!**

**You have leveled up! (42 – 45) You gained 15 Stat points!**

**Lytos leveled up! (43 – 44) Lytos gained 5 Stat points!**

**Due to a difficult fight you gained 1 VIT!**

**Fire affinity rose by 2!**

**You have completed the Zombie ID! You can now run through it again for double the normal amount of XP!**

**You obtained a gift from Thanatos: x1 Great Reaper summon card!**

**Message from: Loki**

**I have no idea how you survived, but good job! I am surprised that you didn't start groveling immediately when you realized who you were talking to… I suppose you are a bit too prideful for that, aren't you? Still, in order to congratulate you, I have a little thing ready for you: the servant shop!**

**Mind you now, it is a legal contract and all… or as legal as you can get when it's gods trafficking other beings.**

**Nonetheless! It is a very good way to get some temporary help if you need it. Of course, you cannot contract anyone stronger than yourself, and after a certain amount of time they will be returned to wherever they came from. Make good use of it! You never know when you'll need a small army at the drop of a hat!**

I took a while to digest all that information. Once I did, though, I left the ID and headed to Arashi's home. I needed a nap.

* * *

**-Day 14, Middle of the night, Daniel's room-**

***ding***

**Welcome to the servant shop! Here you will find different people from all over the multiverse ready to help with whatever you need from them! Of course there are some rules to be followed:**

**\- You cannot contract a being stronger than you. That is just a recipe for disaster.**

**\- There are limits to what you can ask of a servant, and that limit depends on the type of contract they have: a maid will only do what is required of a traditional maid, a mercenary will fight for you, a prostitute will… you know. So mind the contract.**

**\- All contracts can be voided by either party*. As such, treat your servants with some respect.**

**\- All contracts will be considered complete after 3 days*, so if you need that servant for longer, remember to renovate the contract.**

***Unless specified in the servant's profile.**

**So go on and get whatever help you need from the multiverse!**

After committing the rules to memory, I decided to browse what options were available to me. Of course, I didn't plan to actually get a servant just yet. It was still nice to know just what was available to me ahead of time.

I scrolled trough the entries for a while, noting that certain people were already known to me, either from the occasional anime or film, or _other _sources.

…I assure you that I was not tempted to contract Zone-tan just then. Not at all. I was just… confronting her price with other servants to see how one's level influenced their price. Yep! Nothing lewd at all!

Plus, even the weakest servant I could find was actually quite pricy. Sure, 10.000 Gp weren't extremely much to me, but it was still a good two hours of grinding. The strongest servant that I could contract was… surprisingly Goku. His 12-year-old self, mind you. As if I could call upon even teenager Goku, let alone him as an adult. Even as a kid, he would cost me 84.000 Gp, which would deplete a lot of my savings.

I just closed the window with a huff, but not before letting my eyes linger for another second on Zone-tan's profile… Don't look at me like that! Sure, there may be better-looking girls out there, but I'd had a crush on her since I first discovered porn! Sure, it was only lust, but the chance was right there!

Then again, I lived with someone else.

…I could make an ID.

No, no. That was an awful choice. In those things there was no ambient noise, and something like this would disorient even the most hardy person. I was lucky that **Gamer's mind** didn't let me go crazy from the silence… although I'd have appreciated knowing that it wouldn't stand a chance against a god's presence.

Thoughts for another day. Still, I got something in my mind: I needed my own house. Sure, it may be mainly because I wanted somewhere to indulge some fantasies that had plagued me for a long time, but… the prospect was VERY enticing.

"_Bad thoughts. Calm down."_

I tried thinking about something else: for example, my quests, stats and level. I really needed to get faster. My damage output would be dealt with by my level ups, but I needed the speed to survive. As it seemed that training wouldn't cut it anymore, I pulled up my status, and sacrificed 25 of my 160 stockpiled points to bring up my AGI and DEX to 50.

I gained these perks out of it:

**Flash step**

**\- You are so fast that your enemies have a hard time tracking you.**

**\- Every 30 seconds you can instantly move to any spot within 10 meters of distance.**

**\- Movement is allowed only if you can physically reach that spot. (I.E.: no teleporting trough solid walls)**

**xXxXx**

**Sixth sense**

**\- Your reflexes are downright insane: it's very hard to get the drop on you.**

**\- You will always be aware if an enemy with less DEX than you is around.**

Those, while seemingly not that great, would definitely save my life. **Flash step** was literally just a watered down short-range teleport! It was great to surprise my enemies! I would basically be pulling a Shunshin no Jutsu on their asses, and they'd be dead if I got a good hit in!

Now faster than ever, I could say that my status was finally looking like something I could be proud of!

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Lv: 45 (794/4.500 Xp)**

**Race: Low demon (+1 MAG, +1 STR every level)**

**Gp: 121.232**

**Hp: 450/450 (+9 Hp/min)**

**Mp: 1424/1424 (+114 Mp/min)**

**STR: 57**

**VIT: 45**

**AGI: 50 (55)**

**DEX: 50**

**MAG: 57 **

**LUK: 48 (52.8)**

**Stat points: 155**

**Once a confused boy, now Daniel finds himself thrust into a destiny far greater than he feels ready for. He is still confused, mind you, but now he's important too. All things considered, though, he doesn't really care about all of that. All he wants to do is to get this farce over with, and to return to his family. And maybe to have some fun while at it.**

It all looked pretty nice. Of course, my status would only show the boosts that were currently on. While I wasn't using it, having the enchanted armor into my inventory seemed to count as equipping it, thus the bonuses from those were present. But let me tell you, if I were to use all the boosts I was capable of… I'd be about as powerful as a trained dragon. Which didn't seem like a lot in the great scheme of things. I needed more power.

The way to go seemed to increase in level more and more. Yet, I had other things to do during the day. What could I do? The nights alone couldn't cut it. If only there was a way for me to be able to do multiple things at once…

A couple solutions popped up into my head. There was always the Kage Bunshin Jutsu, although that may take a bit too many Mp to be practical. The Ring of the Nine Dragons, which would let me split into nine versions of myself, although it would split also my personality. The ring had a counterpart, the Ring of Catsumi, but its problem was that it would make my copies insane after a while… Could **Gamer's mind** block that? Then again, I didn't know how much they would cost, so that was a problem.

It wouldn't hurt to check. First, I went to get a look at the Kage Bunshin.

Well, the price wasn't too far from what I expected. 250K Gp. I could send Lytos to farm them for me, and when he's about to trigger the Reaper, I could pull him back. In the meanwhile, I would work on my affinities, and try to get some new ones. Ice sounded very useful.

The rings… the Dragon was 700K, so I opted out on checking the other. Understandable, really. The Kage Bunshin was a decently widespread skill in the Naruto world; the rings were unique artifacts.

Thus, to the double Xp ID went Lytos… I should find a faster way to refer to it. Got it! The x2 ID! Not the most original, but it worked well for me.

I got to work on my own, doing whatever I could to get an ice affinity. First, I tried forcing my mana to get an ice affinity on its own… it didn't work obliviously. I tried going for a more scientific approach: as my fire affinity was continuously generating heat, I tried the opposite. In other words, absorbing heat. It worked, somewhat. The air was very slightly colder, but not by much. At best I'd managed to return my mana to a neutral state.

I prepared myself for another long night.

* * *

**-Day 15, Early Morning, Golem ID-**

"**Mabufu!**"

A wave of freezing projectiles launched themselves at the rock golems in front of me. Most of the ice sizzled away, but many deep cracks appeared on their bodies. I'd used **Maragi** to warm them up first, then I cooled them down very quickly. Easy, really.

As they crumbled into dust, I reviewed what I got.

**Daniel Samuels – The Gamer**

**Lv: 66 (13.169/13.200 Xp)**

**Race: Low demon (+1 MAG, STR every level)**

**Gp: 238.232**

**Hp: 450/450 (+9.9 Hp/min)**

**Mp: 260/790 (+158/min)**

**STR: 79 (90.8)**

**VIT: 45 (51.7)**

**AGI: 50 (63.2)**

**DEX: 50 (57.5) **

**MAG: 79 (90.8)**

**LUK: 70 (77)**

**Stat points: 243**

I was currently in my Lesser Demon form, hence all the boosts. Seriously, though. Just like this I was far stronger than any dragon I'd seen yet.

You're probably wondering how I got so powerful. Let me just say this: double Xp may not seem much, but it is downright absurd. I rose almost 20 levels by just going in there once, and that was while I was sharing my Xp with Lytos! In the meantime, my **Pyromancy** and **Cryomancy** rose to 26 and 24 respectively while I was grinding, along with my fire and ice affinities. Fire, with all of its boosts was at 32, while ice, without any boosts whatsoever, reached 7.

Anyway, after that, I decided to give the golem ID a try: after all, it was just sitting there!

A simple application of physics and the golems were reduced to nothing.

Oh, and speaking of golems.

**Lytos – Magic infused dirt (+55% STR, +35% VIT, +25% MAG, +20% DEX and AGI, +10% HP)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 70 (8.687/28.000 Xp)**

**Hp: 1375/1375**

**Mp: 600/600**

**STR: 70 (108.5)**

**VIT: 40 [110] (148.5)**

**AGI: 65 (78)**

**DEX: 65 (78)**

**MAG: 60 (75)**

**LUK: 50**

**Status points: 0**

Yep. Lytos was a true beast now. Impressive, am I right?

While I was stuck in my musings and self-praise, I didn't notice the mini-boss of the dungeon spawn. As such, I found myself flying away.

I took a second to right myself, and to assess the situation.

***ding***

**Ice golem – (Immune to water and ice, +50% Damage taken from fire)**

**Lv: 60**

**Hp: 500/500**

**Mp: 650/650**

**STR: 110**

**VIT: 50**

**AGI: 20**

**DEX: 25**

**MAG: 65**

**LUK: 30**

I didn't bother reading the description. I didn't need it. I extended my hand, and let loose the first spell of the fight.

**Weakness hit!**

**-836 DMG!**

I lost my smirk. This was just sad.

Eh, makes life easier for me.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay, everyone! I was kinda busy today. Still, Daniel is getting more and more powerful, which I like. I don't want to talk much, so i'll stick to answering y'all!**

**The lazy Dragon: Same here mate! I must agree with you!**

**Spyro Fanboy: Oh, he'll come. You will have to wait for Lv 100+, but we'll get there. About... chapter 10? Maybe a bit further.**

**Ethhar: Good news mate! My pc is working again! Sure, it's shit, but I can work with it now. I'll check out all that Thaumcraft can give us, but I'll be probably mix-mashing a lot of things. Be patient, please.**

**And that's all!**

**...really? I want to talk to you people!**

**Oh, whatever! See you in two weeks.**


	7. 1-7 Out of the tutorial town

**-Day 15, Canaan, Léi's office, Daniel's POV-**

*knock* *knock*

"Come in."

I opened the door, and let myself in.

"Good morning, ma'am. I had something I wanted to ask you, if possible."

"Sure thing. What do you need?" she asked.

"You see, I was wondering if I could be allowed to get a home for myself." I rubbed the back of my head "Living with Arashi, while appreciated… isn't something I can really keep doing."

"Well, I don't see why not. Of course, I can't give it to you free, but if you have enough rupees, it can be arranged."

I grimaced. "Yeah, about that… do you have anything I could do for some quick money?"

She hummed, and rummaged trough the pile of papers on her desk. "Maybe. A lot of guards decided to take a leave after the attack to rest, so there are a bunch of things to take care of, and not enough guards around to do them all." She picked out one paper out of the pile and handed it over to me.

I read the paper.

"…Pest extermination? Really?"

She shrugged. "These things need to be done, and the wolves are too many for the average dragon to fight alone. If should be easy enough for you and your golems."

As I needed the money, I couldn't do much else than relent. "I'll do it. Shouldn't take too long.

* * *

It took no time at all. There were a lot of wolves, sure: about 17 of them, but I didn't even need Lytos for this. They were around level 14!

Although I was glad that I didn't meet them during my early days, or I would have been fucked.

With the job done, I was paid 15 rupees, bringing my grand total to 185. About 460 euro, or a bit more. Definitely not enough. I needed to find a way to make money faster.

The more I thought, and more my thoughts concentrated on two things: alchemy and enchanting. My days as a Skyrim player were really showing themselves there. Since I didn't want Arashi to know, I needed a way to keep my materials and work hidden. My Inventory would work.

Although, I needed a cauldron before making any sort of alchemy. And it was Sunday, so I wasn't going to find a store open for that…

Could I make one myself?

Possible, but I'd need the forge…

Tomorrow it is.

* * *

I spent the day training my VIT, running laps around the city with my little dirt golem on my back. I would have to upgrade to a more ergonomic way to weigh myself down. Might as well take a page out of Goku's book, and make weighted clothing.

Still, the training worked well enough, raising my VIT by a whole 6 points, up to 51. The perk, as expected, was amazing.

**Stone bones**

**-Physical damage is reduced by 10%**

**-Unarmed attacks deal 20% more damage**

**-Hp increases by 20%**

My Hp jumped from 510 to 612! Just like that! Perks were really amazing. Maybe I could buy them in the shop? Things to do… I should keep a list.

Just 10 Gp later I had a notebook and a pen, with which I jotted down a list of things to do.

_**Daniel's list of stuff to do:**_

_**1-Buy a cauldron **_

_**2-Buy/make weighted clothing**_

_**3-Ask about enchanting and potion business**_

_**4-Make money**_

_**5-Buy my own place**_

_**6-See if I can buy perks on the Shop**_

_**7-Buy the Kage Bunshin**_

_**8-Reach at least Lv 100**_

_**9-?**_

_**10-Become Overlord**_

_**11-Profit**_

Nice.

* * *

To start off on my plan, I had to skip point one, and went to two: the weights. Looking around the **Shop** I found some options: things like Goku's armbands, shirt and boots, or a tattoo that I could slap on my body, and it would increase gravity around me. The 'gravity seal' was more expensive, at 120K, 40K higher than the clothes, but the chance to change the intensity of the seal's effect drove that bargain home.

Let's see it this way: even if the clothes were more economic, I would have to buy new ones later on. The seal instead, would change whenever I needed it, so it was a sure-fire way to save up in the long run.

I couldn't spare the Gp just yet, as the Kage Bunshin was more important in my opinion, but I should be able to buy it soon. A lot of work would be lifted off of my shoulders, too.

* * *

In the end, I decided to use a third upgrade scroll on **Cure**, making it become **Cura**. Surprising, as my other spells were based on the SMT franchise, yet this was straight out of Final Fantasy. Consistency wasn't the key here, huh?

Well, I digress.

I was tearing trough the golem ID to get some extra levels in. The mini-bosses were cool and all (pun intended), but I wanted to see more.

After a good amount of grinding, and raising my level to 76, I spotted the field boss of this dungeon.

**Ent – (Immune to poison/paralysis, -50% physical damage)**

**Lv: 75**

**Hp: 1250/1250**

**Mp: 900/900**

**STR: 75**

**VIT: 110**

**AGI: 35**

**DEX: 40**

**MAG: 90**

**LUK: 25**

**Aspects: Arbore(40); Victus(30); Telum(25)**

**Boss rank: 2**

**A tree animated trough magical means. These beings are usually passive guardians, but this one is very angry.**

Weirdly, the VIT and Hp didn't match. Could it be that the equation changed after a certain point?

No matter. I'd find out soon anyways.

I hurled an **Agi** at the Ent, to see if it were worth anything.

**Spell damage cap reached!**

**Hp: 250/1250**

Wait, I had such a thing?! That was so cheap! Why would you limit my damage like that?!

Bah, it was doable for now.

I lugged another **Agi** to the Ent and killed it. Capped or not, magic was definitely OP.

**Field boss: Ent Lv: 75 killed!**

**You gained 37.500 Xp, 7.500 Gp!**

**Daniel leveled up! (76 – 79) You gained 15 Stat points!**

Three levels up, so I put three points into LUK and went on with my slaughter. I still had a bit before morning, so I was sure that I could get enough Gp for the Kage Bunshin before morning.

* * *

After about three and a half hours, my level had increased by an unbelievable amount.

**Lv: 97 (Xp: 17.944/19.400)**

**Hp: 612/612 (+10.2/min)**

**Mp: [1250] 3000/3000 (+125/min)**

**STR: 110 (126.5)**

**VIT: 51 (58.6)**

**AGI: 50 {55} (63.2)**

**DEX: 50 (57.5)**

**MAG: 110 (126.5)**

**LUK: 99**

**Stat points: 359**

Apparently, after VIT or MAG reaches 100, Hp and Mp increase by 25 base, instead of 10. And of course, I also got two new perks after STR and MAG reached 100.

**Power overwhelming**

**\- All physical attacks double in power**

**Element incarnate**

**\- One elemental affinity of your choice gains a 25% bonus**

Speaking of the latter… I honestly didn't know what element to specialize in: fire and darkness were my main weapons, but there were a lot of elements out there, so I chose to let the system assign it for me. And the choice was… lightning. I didn't even know how to use it!

Well, at least I had that book. I could find a way.

All of my grinding had been for two reasons: one, so that I could buy both the Kage Bunshin and the Gravity seal at once; and two, because I wanted to see the Dungeon Boss for the golems.

I was standing right in front of said boss: an amalgamation of ground, rocks, and crystals towering over me at 20 meters tall.

**Titan – (-90% physical damage; +50% STR & VIT; Negates earth damage)**

**Lv: 90**

**Hp: 1750/1750**

**Mp: 500/500**

**STR: 120 (180)**

**VIT: 130 (195)**

**AGI: 60**

**DEX: 60**

**MAG: 50**

**LUK: 30**

**Aspects: Terra(50); Vitreus(30); Victus(25)**

**A copy of the strongest golem to ever exist. As it is a paltry imitation, it's power can barely hold a candle to the original.**

"_You're telling me that the true Titan is leagues more powerful? Yep, seems legit."_

Even if it was supposedly weak, it was surprisingly almost as fast as me, which was a tad concerning. Was my progress slowing down? Probably. I had to get done with that quickly, so I could buy what I needed and stop worrying so much.

I jumped back from its punch just at the last moment. I was left baffled by its speed. Immediately, it tried to go for a backhand with the same hand, and once again I barely avoided it. Realizing that I needed to go on the offensive, I activated **Overdrive** and **Power Boost**, which I had started to neglect lately. With my AGI at 72.6, I was just fast enough to avoid the fake Titan's attacks, along with fighting back.

This time I didn't have the privilege of playing around. **Mudoon** after **Mudoon** flew from my hands, but only three of them stuck to the Titan's body. It was still enough, as the damage stacked up to over 600 Hp per second.

"_Mudoon OP plz nerf," _I thought with a chuckle.

Three seconds after, the boss was no more. I was about to ask for a true challenge, but considering my experience with the Reaper, I thought against it. I was completely ok with fighting easy enemies!

**Dungeon boss: Titan Lv: 90 killed!**

**You gained 67.500 Xp, 9.000 Gp!**

**Daniel leveled up! (97 – 100) You gained 15 Stat points!**

**Species: Lesser demon upgraded! Current species: Demon ?**

**Please choose a race.**

In front of me, a list of choices appeared.

**Humanoid (+2 STR, +2 VIT, +2 MAG)**

**Beast (+3 STR, +2 VIT, +1 AGI)**

**Undead (+3 STR, +3 VIT)**

**Element (+1 DEX, +1 AGI, +4 MAG)**

**Draconic (+2 STR, +1 AGI, +3 MAG)**

**Spirit (+2 DEX, +3 AGI, +1 MAG)**

I considered my choices. Undeath wasn't intriguing at all, so I left it alone. I really wanted something that could increase my magical stats, so that I could concentrate on physical training. Either Element, Draconic, or Spirit. The spirit could make me into an actual ghost, so I decided to avoid it too. Between Draconic and Element I went with the Element, as increasing DEX was a problem of mine. Also, it gave 4 to MAG every level!

I tapped on Element, and new alerts popped up.

**New species chosen: Demonic Elemental**

**Calculating elemental form…**

**Main: Fire**

**Secondary: Dark**

**Final element: Blackfire***

***Additional ranks will add elements.**

**Perk upgraded: 'Lesser demon body' becomes 'Blackfire elemental body'**

**\- 20% increase to physical stats**

**\- 50% increase to MAG**

**\- 20% increased Hp regeneration**

**\- Magical flames cannot be extinguished**

While the screens kept piling up, I marveled at the changes to my body: my hair was a mass of black flames, and the air was visibly rippling around me, showing the heat of this form. My skin turned ash grey, and as I studied my reflection in my sword, I saw my eye's sclera turn black.

I looked… what was the word? Oh, yeah. Edgy.

At least I was strong.

And rich enough that I could buy all I needed now!

I remained with only a bit over 88K Gp, but I was cool with it. I could get more, no problem.

**Skill branch: 'Jutsu' added!**

**Skill: Kinjutsu added!**

**Gained Jutsu: Kage bunshin!**

**Kage bunshin (1.000 Mp/clone, Expert)**

**\- The user splits themselves into copies. Said copies disappear after a good hit, but they are exactly the same as the user in any other way.**

**\- If the clone is out of Mp, it will disappear.**

**\- You learn all that your clones learn.**

**\- You get half of the kill Xp, and full Skill Xp from your clones.**

I grinned, even at the high cost. I could only make three clones, but even then, if two killed stuff, one trained my skills, and I kept working on my stats, it would be three times as efficient!

The seal had appeared directly on my sternum, at this moment only a circle the size of my palm, with jagged borders, and the number 1 inside it. In the shop's picture there were also chains coming out of it, but they weren't anywhere to be seen.

**Gravity seal (mystical, rare)**

**Gravity Counter: ×1**

**A magic seal engraved onto the skin of Daniel Samuels. This seal increases the gravity its user experiences by a factor equal to the Gravity Counter. To change the counter the user must send a pulse of mana into the seal, and think about the new value of the counter.**

Testing the seal, I toggled off my **Blackfire elemental body**, and changed the counter to two. The effect was immediate: my movements became more sluggish, and my body couldn't keep up with my usual reflexes anymore. A glance at my stats revealed why.

**Status: Gravity×2 (physical stats are halved)**

**STR: 113 [56.5]**

**VIT: 51 [25.5]**

**AGI: 50 [25]**

**DEX: 50 [25]**

**MAG: 113**

**LUK: 99**

**Stat points: 375**

Since I had so many points, I dumped one into LUK to bring it to 100. The new perk was… confusing in its simplicity.

**DICE**

**\- Every Monday, roll 1d6. Results may vary.**

Deciding to see just what were the results, I decided to use the skill.

"_Shop,"_ I thought, and as I brought my hand up to search for a die, I realized that I was already holding one in my hand. It was a relatively normal dice, if you wanted to forgo that it was lightly shining. And that it was seemingly made of blue crystal.

Nonetheless, I went with it, and let the die roll on the ground. It settled on a 6. **(I'm not pulling plot armor, I actually rolled.)** A new screen popped up in front of me.

**Reward gained: Spell. Roll again for rank.**

I bent to pick up the die, but it was gone. Instead, I felt it in my other hand. That damn die was starting to freak me out. I threw it down, and waited. I got a 5.

**Rank rolled: Expert.**

**Searching spell…**

**Spell gained: Demon summoning (DOOM)**

**Note: Summoning spells can be upgraded only by making an individual of the summoned species submit to you, whether by force or diplomacy.**

**Demon summoning (DOOM) (Expert, Cost varies)**

**\- You can summon the various demons in the DOOM series.**

**\- Possessed: 50 Mp/hour **

**\- Imp: 100 Mp/hour [LOCKED]**

**\- …**

I tapped on the dots, and the list expanded, showing me a multitude of demons. I hadn't ever played DOOM, so I actually had no idea what I was going against. As such, I summoned a Possessed, to see just what I was dealing with.

A red, human-sized portal appeared, and out of it walked a humanoid being roughly six feet tall, a horrifying amalgamation of red, rotting flesh, and a futuristic armor. In place of its left arm was some sort of gun, but I could barely make out any details of it, covered as it was in flesh. The smell, while bad, wasn't as awful as I expected from what was basically a rotting corpse. It still seemed quite coordinated, at least.

**Possessed soldier - (doubles physical stats)**

**Lv: 20**

**Hp: 500/500**

**Mp: 50 [LOCKED]**

**STR: 20 [40]**

**VIT: 25 [50]**

**AGI: 20 [40]**

**DEX: 25 [50]**

**MAG: 5**

**LUK: 5**

**IQ: 90**

**Aspects: Exanimis(50); Alienis(70); Metallum(30)**

**A former human being, corrupted by demonic energy. Now it seeks to destroy anything its master tells it to. It is armed with a plasma rifle.**

The soldier slid quickly into a salute while I was studying it. On one hand, I was disturbed, but on the other I was intrigued at the possibilities of that skill. If the most basic-bitch of my summons was level 20, with the stats of a level 38, how strong would the others be? I needed to know.

I quickly summoned two more soldiers, and brought out Lytos. He was about to jump onto the soldiers, but I held him back. I should have seen it coming, though. After all, they were three unknown… ugly… horrifying beings. He was bound to see them as enemies.

"Lytos, hold up!" That got his attention. "These three are my summons. They work for me. They're allies, ok?" I explained. Lytos had calmed down, so I let him go.

Slowly, he nodded to me, and turned back to the demons. I didn't blame him, of course. Those things were creepy. At least, my enemies would think twice before attacking.

I ordered two of my new soldiers to place themselves at the sides of the spot where I would summon my first Imp, the third stayed at my right, while Lytos was sent opposite of me. My plan was that I would summon the Imp, Lytos would catch it, and my soldiers would keep it under aim in case it tried anything. I wanted to see if normal demons would understand me.

"Three… two… one…" I counted down, and then summoned the imp.

Immediately, Lytos sprung in action, and grabbed the demon that came out of the portal. The Imp was a five feet tall, brownish-red, and was quite emaciated. It didn't make it weak in the slightest, though.

**Imp - (doubles physical stats and triplicates MAG)**

**Lv: 33**

**Hp: 400/400**

**Mp: 1875/1875**

**STR: 20 [40]**

**VIT: 20 [40]**

**AGI: 40 [80]**

**DEX: 35 [70]**

**MAG: 45 [135]**

**LUK: 5**

**IQ: 100**

**Aspects: Alienis(70); Ignis(60); Intelligentia(40)**

**Part of the lesser ranks of the demons, Imps are perfect scouts and killers. That, of course, doesn't make them any less deadly in a head-on fight. They're slippery, and will burn you to the ground.**

The Imp was trashing around, screeching, but it wasn't making much headway. After Lytos had grabbed it, the soldiers at the sides had grabbed its arms, to prevent it from lashing out.

I walked in front of it, and grabbed it by the throat. I forced it to face me as I spoke.

"I know you are intelligent. Do you understand me?"

All I got was a screech to the face. Thus, I decided to change approach. I backhanded it roughly, and tried again.

"SPEAK, MOTHERFUCKER! SPEAK IN A WAY I UNDERSTAND!"

It responded, and this time I understood what it was saying.

"_**I WILL FEAST ON YOUR CORPSE, MAGGOT!**_" It shrieked, while trashing about even more furiously.

I punched it in the face, just hard enough to do a couple hundred points of damage to it. Then, I held up its head while it reeled from the blow.

"You are the maggot here. I am powerful enough to kill you with a single punch, if I so desire. Your options are to submit to me, or to die. Choose."

As I coldly stared into its eyes, I could see terror seeping into its eyes. It was probably used to bring weak, so it could recognize when it was in the presence of a 'bigger fish', as it were.

"_**I… I – Yes. I give up. Better to serve than to die,**_" it grumbled as it bowed its head to me. As it said that, a screen appeared in front of me.

**Summon: [Imp] is now unlocked!**

I snapped my fingers, and my allies let go of the Imp. As I had one last curiosity, I turned back to it.

"You can use fire magic, correct?"

It nodded slowly.

"Good. Show me what you can do," I said, and pointed towards a bunch of trees.

The Imp faced where I pointed it to, and cocked back its arm. An orange glow came from its palm, and it made a throwing motion. A fireball flew from its hand to the trees. It was all in all the same as my Agi spell.

Then, it pulled both arms back, cupping them together near the side of its head. It stayed in that pose for several seconds, the glow becoming increasingly brighter, and then released it in a manner reminiscent of a Kamehameha wave. The resulting fireball was much bigger than the previous, and the blast incinerated all within a range of about two meters, along with scorching a lot more.

A glance at its Mp told me all I needed to know. A normal Agi took 20 Mp, while the bigger fireball, which I wondered whether was Agilao or Agidyne, took 50 Mp.

It didn't seem too hard.

I assumed the same pose as the Imp, and emulated what I had seen it do. It was… laughably easy.

**Skill upgraded: Agi - Agilao**

**Agilao (Initiate, 50 Mp)**

**\- A charged fireball to ruin your enemies' day.**

**\- DMG=MAG+[(Fire aff./3)×Pyromancy]**

The only thing that changed was that instead of dividing my affinity in 4, now it was 3! Well, it was something, at least. With the modification, now my base damage rose up to a bit over 500… not that much, really. At least, I had clones ready to fix that for me. Plus, I did need to get to level 100 in at least one magical skill. Might as well make it Pyromancy… and maybe dedicate a clone or two to fighting skills. I wanted to stay somewhat balanced.

And speaking of…

I dismissed my demons, and went for some running trough the woods. I also went on branches a bit, to test a theory. I was in fact, right. The enhanced gravity affected only me, and not things under me. So, I could say goodbye to the idea of turning myself into a cannonball.

Since I could spare the Mp, I made two more clones. One to throw fireballs around, and another to practice with my sword. In the meantime, I ran.

Cue the time skip!

* * *

**Night of day 16 (Monday), ID outside of Canaan, Daniel's P.O.V.**

During my _very_ tiring run, I had to replace the fireball clone a lot. I had forgotten that my clones disappeared as soon as they ran out of Mp, which meant that my clone would get 50 fireballs in, and then poof away. So, I would make another one every 8 minutes. At least I got a lot of progress in: 9 levels into Pyromancy, 23 levels into Sword, 10 into both Weapons and Tools, and 7 more into Armor. I also gained 2 STR, 11 VIT, 9 AGI and 8 DEX.

A very, very good haul!

Another nice thing was that one of the clones I sent out, instead of throwing fireballs, had made the cauldron I needed, along with getting the information I wanted.

There was, in fact, a market for potions. But not amongst dragons, as they had 'spirit gems', some sort of healing crystals, that they could use to heal whatever they wanted. Still, there were many more beings I could sell to: mainly, the cheetahs and moles. The moles were similar to the cheetahs, but where cheetahs were tall and nimble, moles were short and stocky. They averaged between 3 and half to 4 feet tall, which made for a hilarious mental image.

The enchanting, instead, wasn't really sought after. Sure, there was the odd being that looked for it, but the process (as I knew) was just kinda time-consuming, not too difficult. As such, the price wasn't extremely high.

It was better to concentrate on potions.

I also needed to know what kind of potions I should make.

The first two ideas off the top of my head were, of course, Skyrim and Minecraft. For one kind, I would need a brewing stand. For the other, an alchemy table.

In the end, I chose to try both and see how they worked. I bought one of each, coming up to 2.700 Gp, and also two guides on how to use those things. The brewing stand was relatively easy to use: put three bottles of water in the proper spots, the ingredient you need in the top container, and blaze powder in the underside. At least I remembered some recipes, and the guide had a lot more.

For the alchemy table, it was a bit more complex, as each potion had a different set of instructions. The ingredients could be interchangeable, but the operations weren't. As before, a lot of recipes were present.

As there wasn't much for me to do in the night, I made a clone, purchased some ingredients and went on to make some potions.

* * *

The first thing we did was healing potions.

The clone made a regeneration and instant health potion.

**Regeneration potion (Rare, Intricate)**

**\- Effect: heals 1% of maximum Hp every 1.2 seconds**

**\- Duration: 0:22**

**\- Aspects: Sano(25); Praecantatio(10)**

**Instant health potion (Rare, Intricate)**

**\- Effect: heals 40% of maximum Hp**

**\- Aspects: Sano(30); Praecantatio(15)**

If it wasn't visible by the effects, they both were the upgraded version. That was also the reason why they were classed as 'rare'; the base version was uncommon.

Mine, on the other hand…

**Potion of regeneration (Uncommon, Complex)**

**\- Effect: Increases Hp regeneration by 50%**

**\- Duration: 5:00**

**\- Aspects: Sano(50); Praecantatio(25)**

**Small health potion (Uncommon, Complex)**

**\- Effect: Heals 50 Hp**

**\- Aspects: Sano(10); Praecantatio(5)**

Well, there were ups and downs to both. For a lingering effect I'd lean towards Skyrim potions, but in raw healing I'd take Minecraft. Surprisingly, I didn't get a potion-making skill, but I supposed it was fair. It was just a bunch of clear-cut instructions; not much room for skill over there… eat your heart out, Snape.

Nonetheless, I threw all the potions in my inventory, and made a list of potions for my clones to make: more health potions, resistance potions, buff and debuff potions, and some status effects.

With that settled, I went on to continue my training. As I had two clones already out, I could only make one more. But that was good enough. Thus, all trough the night, the only sounds in the ID were my running, some fireballs, and the clinking of bottles.

That is, until early morning.

**The gamer: v1.0.1 changelog**

**-Skill level system has been changed from numerical to rank-type.**

***To increase the rank, user must spend Upgrade points. User gains Up through quests, or 1 per level up.**

***To apologize for the inconvenience, skill ranks have been granted to reflect the skill's previous level of mastery, and User will be gifted Up equal to their Level.**

**-Percentile boosts have been swapped to static and multiplier boosts.**

***Affinities have been changed to multipliers.**

**-Multiple spells have been recalibrated.**

**-Xp bar has been reset to 0 to avoid system bugs. Yggdrasil apologizes for the inconvenience.**

**-Racial boosts have been abolished for beings other than User and beings synchronized with them. Levels have been recalibrated because of that.**

**-Observe spell has been modified heavily to fit the new rank system. Higher ranks will allow new entries.**

**-Quest objectives and rewards have been modified to suit the new mechanics.**

**-Minor bug fixes.**

**-Your increasingly shitty attitude and ego – Loki**

I felt my eye twitch at that last line. I hastily checked on everything, finding myself more and more confused.

On the bright side, Cura was changed to Diarama. It had been bothering me.

But still! I was very angry at Loki for his dumbass jab at me! _"I do not have a shitty attitude, nor an ego! The fuck does he think he is?!"_

A new notification appeared in front of me. It was a message.

**Message from: Loki**

**Yes, you do have a titanic ego and a shitty attitude. And I'm not even faulting you for that. The increase in power you had made you start acting more like a demon, and less like a human. Haven't you noticed? You're more violent and angry than normal; you got enraged at a half-baked jab, and started having an overall crueler attitude. You need to keep yourself in control, Daniel. Try being nice to others, and for the love of me, stop lounging around in one place! How are you supposed to grow while being sedentary? You need to travel, man. And when was the last time you spoke to your family? You need to keep yourself grounded.**

I stopped ranting for a moment, considering all that Loki said. Sure, I was angry that things changed under my nose, but was it really that bad? It didn't change much strategically speaking: my boosts wouldn't cut it anymore at some point, and I would have had to change them anyway.

Also, I really hoped that Yggdrasil, who apparently was in charge of updating my system, hadn't nerfed me too much. I guess I asked for it, but come on!

The worst thing, though, was that Loki was right. In everything: I hadn't called home since the first time, I had helped others because I would get something out of it, and the way things went with the Imp showed just how bad I could be if I let myself go.

No more of that; I'll move out, under the guise of selling potions, and grow stronger. Then, when I was powerful enough, I might as well end Egul. He was a pain to deal with anyways.

**Fallen kingdom  
Objectives:  
-Depose Egul permanently  
-Find a suitable ruler for the Apes  
-Help Apes and Dragons reach peace (+200.000 Xp, +50.000 Gp, +50 Up, new title)**

Oh, nice.

* * *

**Morning of day 17 (Tuesday), Léi's office, Daniel's P.O.V.**

"Ma'am? There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

This time I let myself in, and walked immediately in front of the desk.

"Hm? What is it today, Daniel?" She asked, not even bothering to look up.

"I'm leaving."

_That_ got her attention.

"Excuse me, what? I think I'm getting old. Could you repeat that?"

"I said that I'm going. I appreciate all that you have done for me, but it is time for me to go."

She was quite surprised at the whole situation, as I could plainly see on her face.

"W-why? You did tell me that you want to live alone, but—" I interrupted her.

"I know, but that's not it. It's just that I can't stay stuck in one spot for too long. I appreciate all that you have done in my time here, but I can't keep going. I need to move, to explore the world. There's so much to see, to do! I can't let myself be stuck in one place for too long. Plus, how will I be able to help others if I stay only here?"

She remained quiet, pensive, for a while.

"I see your point. At least, I'm happy that you decided to tell me before going off. This way I'll be able to answer the incoming questions, and maybe avoid any mass panic. Are you leaving now?"

"No, not just yet. I need to talk to a couple others first… I'm not going without saying goodbye again."

Léi smiled warmly at me, and motioned for me to go. I did so, heading to say farewell to my boss/best friend in this town.

* * *

"There ye are, boy! I thought ya weren't gonna show up again!"

I lifted one of my hands to make Vulcan quiet down. "I'm not showing up again, Vulcan. I'm leaving the town. I just came here to say goodbye."

"Whoa. I didn't see that comin'. I… I'll miss ya, ya know? I liked to have someone around the forge. Now… it'll feel empty. Make good use of what I taught ya, 'kay?"

I smiled lightly. "I definitely will, and I'll make sure to visit. It's a promise."

He grinned at my promise. "I'm glad, now get out. I got forgin' to do!"

Chuckling, I obliged and left.

* * *

Entering trough the door, I stumbled right into Arashi while he was leaving. We both stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time, before I tried to break the ice.

"Well, I… I'm leaving."

"I see…"

"At least you won't have to deal with me again… heh."

"I suppose…"

"Yeah, well… er…"

"To be honest… I don't think we care about each other enough to have a heartfelt goodbye."

I nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, true. I'll just pick up my stuff and go."

"Mh. Goodbye, I guess."

"Yeah, sure. Don't die."

I then went to pick up my arcane table, and left.

* * *

,I knocked on the door, and waited. Not long after, a set of heavy steps could be felt from behind the door. It opened, and on the other side was Frost.

"Is there something you need?"

"I'm going to leave the town soon, so… I wanted to say goodbye."

"I see… I assume that you'll want your golems back, then—"

"Oh, no need for that! You can keep them! I can always make more, don't worry!"

"Ok then. In that case, I bid you good luck in your travels."

I snapped into a salute. "It was an honor, sir!"

We both chuckled a bit at that.

"Say… do you mind if I come in and say goodbye to your children too? If it's not too much disturb, of course, it's just that… I've grown fond of them in the rare occasions where we've met"

He snorted a bit. "I don't doubt that one bit. It's like they can only think about you at times. It's a bit concerning, actually. Anyway, they're not here. It _is _a school day after all. You might catch up to them if you hurry, though." He pointed me to the direction of what I assumed to be the school, so I ran over there.

Here, I would like to point out the fact that my training raised my AGI to 65, making me more than three times faster than the fastest human. I caught up to Tundra and Star in moments. Pyra was also there. Maybe they lived near each other?

When I stopped a couple meters in front of them, they were surprised, to say the least.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just popped in to tell you that I'm leaving."

I was received with various degrees of surprise, and multiple answers. One in particular, staggered me.

"Can I come with you?"

Pyra had been the one to say that. I was, to no one's surprise, confused by that question.

"Why are you asking me that? And what about your parents?"

Both Star and Tundra cringed at that, while Pyra's mood immediately dropped.

"They… they're not around. Mom disappeared when I was very young, and no one knows why. Dad… died a few days ago. Some of the apes had poisoned swords, so when they hit him…"

She didn't continue, but I understood perfectly. In the end, it'd been my fault, too. From what I understood, Spirit Gems healed also poisons, but my magic didn't. So, when I healed him, and I knew I healed him too, as I remembered the dragon in question, I didn't do anything against the poison, and since it was stuck inside, there wasn't anything that could be done until it was too late.

"I…" could I really? Bring her away from the town she'd lived in for all her life, all while knowing that her father's death was my fault? Would it help to run away, though? On one hand, I could take her away, and make it up to her. On the other, I'd be ripping her away from her life. But then again…

"Do you really want to come with me?"

"Y-Yes! I've got nothing left here. I just want to get away…"

… what life did she have here?

"Alright, then. I'll talk to Léi, and see what I can do."

* * *

Léi was… not really against it, but couldn't allow it nonetheless. Law is never cut and dry, and this was no exception. As Pyra had no legal guardian a the moment, it should've been possible to take her with me, but the problem was that I wasn't legally a citizen of anywhere within that world. As such, I couldn't be allowed to take her in.

After some pestering, prodding, and thinking, we managed to find a loophole in the system: if Pyra was adopted by a citizen, and then that dragon decided to travel around, no one could do anything about it. Nor could they say anything if I chose to tag along.

* * *

"Elder Léi? Have you called for me?" Called out Gaia as she entered the room.

"Why yes, I did. I apologize for disturbing your day off, but I needed to speak with you," Léi replied.

She nodded, and took a seat next to me and Pyra.

"I'll get straight to the point: I have heard rumors that you wanted to roam the world, something about how 'being aa guard isn't your place in the world', correct?"

Gaia had the decency to look sheepish and embarrassed. "I suppose so. Not to mean any disrespect to you, but just settling down as a guard never sat right with me…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, don't worry. No one can fault you for having dreams. Now, how about I help you accomplish that?"

Gaia's face lit up like it was Christmas. "You really mean it? What do I need to do?"

Léi cringed a bit, but continued on nonetheless. "I would need you to take legal custody of young Pyra here, and to accompany her and Daniel on their travels. That is all I ask. I know it might be a lot for you, and you don't have to—"

"I'll do it," she interrupted. "I don't mind." She then turned to Pyra. "I heard about what happened. Your dad and I were good friends, you know. I'd be happy to take care of you. Although—" she looked up to me "—where do you fit in with all this?"

I shrugged a bit. "I was already planning on leaving, and Pyra told me she wanted to do so too. I would've taken custody of her myself, but I can't for legal reasons. Still, I'm glad to know you're coming with us."

And I really was, as she was much stronger than one would expect.

**Gaia Tarrasque - Earthbound (racial trait 'flight' is negated, +5 to all physical stats)  
Race: Dragon  
Lv 58  
Hp 840  
Mp 460**

**STR 78 (83)  
VIT 84 (89)  
AGI 39 (44)  
DEX 29 (34)  
MAG 46  
LUK 14**

Sure, I did beat her in almost any way, stat-wise, but I assumed that being trained would make her a powerful teammate. In addition, there were things that I would've never been able to teach Pyra, but Gaia could. Her title gave me pause, but it did answer why her wings had never moved once since she had come in. They were probably paralyzed.

"I see. In that case, when are you planning on leaving?"

I pondered her question. Sure, had I been alone it would've been no problem to just go immediately, but with them I'd have to consider shelter, a mode of transportation, much bigger amounts of supplies, and I would have to hide a lot of my abilities, raising travel time a lot. At least my Inventory could help with keeping the food and water fresh, along with me being able to go for ~2 days without feeling too hungry … although the girls probably wouldn't let me do that: they'd get concerned and whatnot.

I shook my head, and answered Gaia's question. "Today, definitely; but not just yet. I need to stock up a bit if you two are going to come with me. Plus, I don't think you both want to walk the whole way, right?"

Gaia shrugged. "It's not a problem with me, actually. I'm used to walking a long time, and if we need to I can just carry Pyra on my back. I'm more concerned with you."

I gave a noncommittal hum. "I'll be fine. Less rupees spent, I suppose. I still need to plan out the route we'll take, though, so I'd say… noon? We meet up, have lunch, and then get going."

Both dragonesses seemed ok with my plan. Thus, we split up. Gaia and Pyra stayed with Léi, as they slayed the monster that is paperwork, while I went on to buy food, covers, and the like. I had a bit over 180 rupees, so I should have been fine.

* * *

**Warning: long-ass A/N incoming.**

**Ok, I want to apologize for a multitude of things: how late I am, the overhaul of the Gamer system, and for killing off Pyra's dad.**

**1)My lateness is due to the system being too complex, and having too many details for me to follow to keep having the will to write it. Thus, I spent a few days reworking it. Also I am, in fact, quite lazy.**

**2)Many will be angry because I removed the 'grows with understanding' mechanic, but I'll be honest: at first it was nice, but after a while it became a hassle to write. If someone out here thinks they can work it better than me, they're welcome to try. Also, Stat grinding takes up a lot of my chapters, and it pisses me off. I want to concentrate on making a good story, but the Gamer elements kept rearing their heads, ruining my will to write. What you just read was a chapter I'd been working on for 3 or so weeks, before giving up for a while, and then simplifying the system. I'm sorry, but the excess details had to go.**

**3)Pyra's dad… is a complicated matter. I honestly didn't know what to do with him even when I first wrote him in Mk 1, as the original story has been unofficially called. I… I'm not sure if this was the right call, but it was the only thing I could think of to unblock my story. I'll explain: I wanted Daniel to leave town for a while, but if he left on his own he'd not have had the chance to grow as a person. Interacting with people is what makes someone's character grow, and Daniel… was starting to become shallow. This ties in also to why I gave him a more evil attitude rearing its ugly head every now and then: it gives him some internal conflict. Anyway, Daniel says bye to everyone, then leaves. Monotone, right? Instead, Daniel tries to leave, but one of the young dragons he saved wants to follow him. That's some emotion. Now, how about: Daniel tries to leave, one of the dragons wants to come with him to escape from the trauma, and he's forced to bring along also another dragoness? That gives us three points of view, along with three personalities clashing and growing alongside each other.**

**Ahem, that was a long rant. Still, I'm sorry to have made everyone wait so long. From the day I publish this, I'll do my best to return to my every-two-weeks schedule. Also, as mentioned in the last chapter, I don't have a beta anymore, so I'm sorry if you find some mistakes; I'm doing my best for all of you.**

**This A/N is way too long. I'll have to skip the review answers this time. Still, review! I'll be answering you all next time!**


	8. 1-8 He must learn

**-Noon, day 17 (Tuesday), Canaan's gates-**

"Ok, is everyone ready?" I asked, standing with my back towards the gate.

"Yeah!" Replied the two dragonesses in front of me.

"Then off we go!" I exclaimed, and we all begun our march outside of town.

While we walked I took a look around; the damage from the Apes' assault was mostly repaired, but it was still visible: some indents in the ground from my golems, a few arrows littering the ground, I even saw the broken blade of a sword sticking out of the ground.

Pyra was keeping her eyes to the ground, unwilling to take notice of anything around her.

Gaia kept her gaze straight in front of her, probably reliving that night.

We traveled for some time, no one saying anything. I wanted to break the tension, but… all of my time lately had been spent working in some way; I had lost touch with social situations.

But I could still be blunt about stuff.

"Can someone say something? This silence is suffocating me!"

Cha cha, real smooth.

Gaia lowered her gaze to me, giving me that look of 'are you an idiot?' that only a woman can give. Nonetheless, she obliged to my request.

"Where are we even going? You said you would plan out our route, but that's all we know."

As good a discussion as any other.

"There's a relatively small cheetah village at about a day's travel from here. I was planning to make that our first stop, sell some stuff there to get some more funds, and from there reach a major city. Maybe Warfang, but not necessarily. I heard that the population there is pretty mixed, so they would have some use for healing potions and whatnot."

Gaia cocked her head as I mentioned potions. "Is that what you're selling? Potions? That's quite the rate art. Where did you learn?"

Our discussion had pulled Pyra out of her funk a bit, and she was listening in.

"Well, if you really want to know…" I gestured for both of them to get closer. They did so.

"Where I learned…" They got closer, almost pressing their faces into each other.

"Is a trade secret!" I finished with a shit-eating grin.

"Aw, come on!" Whined Pyra. "Why won't you tell us? We can keep a secret! Right, Gaia?"

Gaia chuckled at the child's eagerness. "Sure we can, Pyra."

"See?" She asked me. "We can keep your secret! Can you tell us? Pleeeease?"

I pretended to think about it. I didn't want to cone off as a dick, but I couldn't very well tell them, so I had to settle for this:

"Maybe, one day, I will spread the secret to the whole world. But until that happens, I need to make enough money to sustain us. And I can't make money off of potions if everyone can make them, right?"

Pyra pouted at my words, but came around. "Fiiiiine. But can you at least teach me? I could help you make more potions, so we can get more money!"

You had to appreciate the tenacity in that one.

"Not just yet. When you're older, maybe, but these things are complicated, and not something you should be concerning yourself with when you're this young."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. Promise."

The seemed to lift her mood a bit, and she started trotting a bit faster, Gaia and I lengthening our strides to keep up.

* * *

"I'd say we deserve a small break, it's been a few hours already."

I agreed with Gaia, since Pyra looked to be struggling to follow along at that point. I suppose having a VIT score so much higher than her own made us forget that she didn't have that kind of stamina.

So, we sat down. I leaned next to a tree, and Gaia was a few feet away from me. Pyra nestled into Gaia's side, and proceeded to nap.

"You do realize," I whispered "that if she sleeps for too long, we might not reach the village on time, yeah?"

"That depends. How fast can you run?"

I wasn't amused. "I'll take a guess and say 'enough'. It doesn't really change much for me, but I don't really appreciate the prospect of sleeping in the wild again so soon."

Gaia didn't answer, and we settled into silence.

Since we weren't doing much of anything, I took the chance to scour a bit my screens, and see exactly what had changed for me.

* * *

Well, for one, it didn't seem _that_ awful.

The system, from what I gathered, was now more centered on level and stat-grinding rather than skills. Every level I would get one Upgrade point, called Up in short. Those Up would be used to increase my skill's rank. The ranks were the same as my spells: novice, initiate, acolyte, expert, master, and an extra one which was akin to max-level: Legendary.

My spells didn't have ranks anymore, though, and my spell list now contained all the spells I ever learned, not just the upgraded version. I.E.: I had Mudo and Mudoon, Agi and Agilao, so on and forth.

My magic and auromancy branch had been fused into one, with some of the skill names changing: Pyromancy became Ignis magic, Cryomancy became Gelum magic, and… Constructs became Ordo magic, somehow. Along with my Summoning becoming Alienis magic.

I suppose at least Ordo did make some sense, considering that making constructs involved making my mana obey a certain set of rules, thus imposing order on it.

As the changelog had stated, the percentile boosts I got from my perks, spells, and even enchantments, were turned into a static '+X points' boost. My affinities, instead, were multipliers. They operated the same way as my skills, forcing me to buy upgrades for them.

Also my quest, 'On becoming a mage', was modified heavily. I'll show you.

**On becoming a mage (2/?)  
Objectives:  
-Get MAG to 100  
-Get a magic-related skill to Expert rank (+4.000 Xp, +250 Gp, new perk)  
Bonus:  
-Get a magic-related skill to Master rank (+1.000 Xp, +10 Up)**

My Ignis and Sano magic were both classed as Expert, and it made sense, considering they were pretty high level before the update. Increasing one of them to Master rank would take 50 Up, which I could spend, as I was given one Up for every level retroactively, bringing my total to 100.

I thought that I might as well, and brought my Sano up to Master rank. Why that? Well, I just felt like it was the better choice. And since hoarding those points wouldn't help me, I decided to spend them. Manipulation and Ordo went to Acolyte, taking 20 points. Aqua went to Initiate, taking 5 points. Then… Gelum up to Expert, taking all of my points.

"_Maybe next I should upgrade my affinities. Bah, thoughts for another time." _I thought, as I turned in the quest.

**Quest complete!**

**Gained: +5.000 Xp, +250 Gp, +10 Up, new perk!**

**Perk gained: Mana saturation**

**-Your body is full of mana to the brim.**

**-Mp increased by ×1.5**

**-Magic protection: +15**

Just from the perk, my Mp jumped from 1325 to 1987! Sure, not really an even number, but who was I to complain? Factor in my Mana Storage, which thankfully was barely tampered with, and my Mp jumped to 3975! I was shaping up to being an absolute monster… if only I could fix the problem that was my Hp. I could've spent a few points in VIT, but raising it manually still was the best choice.

* * *

And as it appears, I was right.

Since we'd waited on Pyra to wake up, instead of just carrying her with us, we were forced to sleep outside. I pulled out a few thick covers, and laid them on the ground. Might as well try to make things comfortable.

Fortunately, while they did question where I kept pulling them from, I could explain it away as a spell a friend had etched to me, to aid in my travels. Gaia was more skeptical, but dropped the argument. I should have expected her to be more cautious, she wasn't a trained guard for nothing; she probably could see trough my bullshit like it wasn't even there.

Anyhow, we agreed on Gaia taking first shift, and I would take up her place later.

Before that, though, I excused myself with the lamest excuse of all: bathroom break. It worked, at least, and I had the chance to swap myself out for a clone. Said clone returned to the camp, and went to sleep.

I, on the other hand, made one more clone. This one would be making potions while I trained. I was about to make one last clone, but my Mp bar gave me pause: I wasn't recovering any Mp. Before, I would've lost 1000 Mp, and then started regaining them. Not anymore, it seemed. I could do three at most? And three it was, until one dispersed.

I threw a **Blind** at the ground, to lower my Mp a bit. It ticked up, but didn't go over 1975. From what I understood, my Mp was now permanently split among all the clones I had and me for as long as they existed, lowering my own maximum Mp temporarily.

Well, I didn't really need a new clone, plus I had others ready to help. Namely, Lytos, and my small army of demons. I needed some physical training anyway, so I summoned five Possessed soldiers. They would be hanging back and providing cover fire, while Lytos and I went in to wreck some shit.

Funny detail is that now their level matched their stats.

**Lv: 38  
Hp: 500/500  
Mp: 50 [LOCKED]**

**STR: 40  
VIT: 50  
AGI: 40  
DEX: 50  
MAG: 5  
LUK: 5**

Not that it mattered much, but it made it easier to see a rough approximation of their strength without having to do mental maths everytime.

Scrolling trough my ID options, I saw a new option: DOOM demons. Should I try?

Sure, why not.

Once the ID opened, we found ourselves in a whole new place. Everything around us was an arid wasteland, with green fires popping around at random intervals.

***ding***

**Welcome to your first Arena Dungeon!**

**These dungeons have the peculiarity of not allowing you to look for your enemies. Rather, they will come to you in waves! Defeat enough waves, and a new enemy will be added. Once you defeat all the waves, the dungeon will be complete!**

**Be mindful that you can only escape from the arena every 5 waves, so if you choose to stay now you will need to defeat 5 waves to leave. Do you have what it takes?**

**[Yes/No]**

**Recommended level: 100**

This seemed like a high risk/high reward deal. Although… I did have the required level, plus I wasn't alone.

"Fuck it, let's do this," I said as I smashed the 'yes' option.

**Begin wave 1!**

In front of us appeared five demons. I recognized two imps, but the others were new.

**Hell knight**

**Lv: 80**

**Hp: 1875/1875**

**Mp: 100 [LOCKED]**

**STR: 120**

**VIT: 135**

**AGI: 80**

**DEX: 50**

**MAG: 10**

**LUK: 5**

**Hell Razer**

**Lv: 80**

**Hp: 600/600**

**Mp: 650/650**

**STR: 60**

**VIT: 60**

**AGI: 90**

**DEX: 120**

**MAG: 65**

**LUK: 5**

The Hell knight was standing in the middle of the group, at an imposing 10 feet tall of pure muscle, thick skin, and near-skinless head and face, giving it a hauntingly humanlike look… despite the lack of eyes or eye sockets.

The Razers, instead, looked like a possessed soldier, but with the weapon and arm completely fused and grey plates of some kind of material covering almost all of its body.

I rushed to the Knight, trusting Lytos and my own demons to keep the others away from me. I had to use my Blackfire form immediately, as the Knight was strong enough to push me back with a swing of its claws, even if I had blocked it with my sword.

To make the fight a bit easier, I threw a **Mudoon **at it. I hit, dealing much more damage than expected.

**426 DMG!**

I blinked at the absurd amount of damage, and hoped that the 'damage over time' feature of the spell hadn't been changed.

**50 DMG!**

Well, ok, it had. In exchange for a high cumulative damage, it just dealt the brunt at impact, the damage being much lower as it continued.

I didn't have much more time to contemplate, though, as the Knight jumped at me, out for blood. I dove out of the way, and slashed at its side while it righted itself.

**185 DMG!**

The fight was dragging on for a bit too much in my opinion. At that point, I had dealt only a bit over 700 points of damage. I needed a way to wreck this sucker much quicker, and I had an idea.

I activated my **Power Burst**, which gave me an extra 35 in my STR, VIT, and AGI. Just what I needed. With the extra speed, I proceeded to run around the Knight, slicing and dicing until it was no more.

Once that monster was down, I went to take care of the rest. One Razer was already down, thanks to Lytos, and now he was concentrating on catching a slippery Imp. I threw a **Bufula** at the Imp's feet, making it lose traction just enough for Lytos to reach it and pummel it into the ground.

The remaining Razer was lining up a shot with me in its sights. I zig-zagged towards it, punching it in the face with **Mana knuckle**.

**260 DMG!**

It staggered back from the hit. I ran it trough with my sword. In the meanwhile, the Possessed had dealt with the last Imp.

***ding***

**Wave complete! Gained: +20.000 Xp! ×5 Argent shards!**

**You have one minute before the next wave begins!**

I looked around. Lytos was still in good condition, and so was I. The Possessed, instead, were looking like shit. Only two were left, and they were covered in burns. I de-summoned them, calling up this time 10 of them, along with 5 Imps. I wasn't left with that much Mp, but I had a couple recovery potions. I'd use them after the next wave.

**Begin wave 2!**

This time we had 7 enemies to deal with: two Hell Knights, two Imps, and three Razers. I motioned Lytos to deal with the second Knight while I took care of the first. The rest would fight how they thought best.

Dealing with this Knight was easier this time around, and I finished it in seconds. I took a moment to help out with a **Mabufu**, dealing an average of 400 damage. I rushed to help Lytos, slashing at the remaining Knight's neck.

**Critical hit! 472 DMG!**

…I needed to work on my physical side too. I could use some extra boosts for my fighting style.

"_That's it! A style! I've just been swinging at random most often than—"_ A punch in my face knocked me straight off my feet.

**-173 Hp!**

I got up and wiped some blood away from my mouth. _"Ok, think later."_

Less than a minute later, the remaining demons were dealt with.

***ding***

**Wave complete! Gained: +28.000 Xp! ×7 Argent shards!**

**Daniel leveled up! Lytos leveled up!**

**You have one minute before the next wave begins!**

That one level up increased my maximum Mp massively, reaching over 2K Mp. Perks of getting 4 MAG points every level!

I downed an Mp recovery potion, and used **Diarama** on myself. My demons were still good to go, so I readied myself for the next wave.

**Begin wave 3!**

The enemies increased again, up to ten enemies. Two Knights, four Imps, and four Razers. Plan was as followed: lead with **Mamudo**, kill one Knight, **Mamudo** again, deal with the other knight, clean up the stragglers.

The plan worked perfectly, and it did so also for the following wave… although I had to summon a lot more demons, as the fourth wave had thirteen enemies, three of which were Knights.

At any rate, we managed to reach the fifth, and final for tonight, wave.

The first surprise was that there were only three enemies. The second surprise was the new enemy present.

**Mancubus**

**Lv: 100**

**Hp: 2250/2250**

**Mp: 1750/1750**

**STR: 120**

**VIT: 150**

**AGI: 20**

**DEX: 75**

**MAG: 130**

**LUK: 5**

**Boss rank: 3**

It was a behemoth. Taller than me, and just as thick. It was a humanoid ball of lard, plain and simple. It had only one eye, and what I could see of its mouth had concentric rings of teeth inside it. It wore some kind of blasters on its arms attached to canisters on its back.

At least it was incredibly slow.

With my platoon of demons providing covering fire, I engaged the Mancubus; Lytos went to deal with the two Razers. During my previous fights I learned a new trick, **Cryotelum**.

**Cryotelum (10 Mp/strike)**

**-Freeze your enemies' blood. And bones.**

**-Adds +10(+25) Gelum damage to weapon attacks.**

**-Gelum affinity affects final DMG**

I should be able to re-engineer it also for other elements, but for now it was enough.

I jumped to the side to avoid the twin fireballs it shot at me, and answered with my own **Bufula**. I struck it straight in the face. While it reeled from the cold and pain, I reached it and plunged my sword in its chest. The fat was too thick to do any substantial damage, so I switched targets.

The Mancubus had two pipes sprouting from its collarbone, reaching back into the canisters on its back. I cut one of the pipes, and it started convulsing, throwing me off of it.

As I righted myself, I noticed its Hp slowly deplete. Those pipes were definitely important. I ran at it again, keeping my distance from its crazed swings. When I saw an opportunity, I ripped out also the second pipe, and threw a **Mana Knuckle** \+ **Mana spikes** punch in its eye.

**Critical hit! 1180 DMG!**

It proved enough to obliterate its face entirely.

***ding***

**Wave complete! Gained: +30.500 Xp! +1.000 Gp! ×1 Argent fragment! ×2 Argent shards!**

**Daniel leveled up! Lytos leveled up!**

**You survived five waves, congratulations! Do you want to continue?**

**[Y/N]**

I immediately pressed no, and we returned to the real world.

I pulled out my notebook, and ripped out my previous to-do list, writing down a new one.

_**To do:**_

_**1) Get a fighting style.**_

_**2) Raise my stats. A lot.**_

_**3) Make a lot of recovery potions.**_

_**4) Learn a wider variety of spells, the stronger the better.**_

_**5) Get stronger summons.**_

_**6) stay away from the Arena until all other points are complete.**_

I wasn't planning to get back to that place in a very long time.

After dismissing my demons, I joined my clone.

"Yo, how was it?" He asked.

"Utter hell. But worse."

He blinked. "Ok… You need something?"

I gave a once over to what he'd made while I wasn't around. A good number of recoveries; a few status-inducing poisons like slow, blind, weak, et cetera; and a few resistance potions.

"I need a fighting style. And maybe a better sword."

The other me hummed, considering the choices. "Let's check the store, and see what we can find. We do have a good amount of Gp."

I opened it, and searched for sword fighting styles. There were a lot of choices, but a few attracted my attention.

**Sparda style: Swordmaster (80.000 Gp)**

**Sparda style: Royalguard (95.000 Gp)**

**Sparda style: Gunslinger (75.000 Gp)**

**Sparda style: Trickster (85.000 Gp)**

Dante's fighting styles from Devil May Cry. I had enough Gp to but the Swordmaster style, but I wasn't sure if I could use it with my sword, since Dante's sword, Rebellion, was bigger than a normal person. In the end, I decided that it was probably for the best, and I might just buy a bigger sword if it was a problem later.

I spent the rest of the night studying the book, and trying to emulate the moves depicted in it. More than once I failed, and just as many times my clone laughed at me. Still, I managed to get the basics down in one night.

**Swordmaster style (Novice) (incomplete)**

**-The art to slice 'n dice like nobody's business passed down trough the Sparda line.**

**-Short swords deal ×1.5 DMG**

**-Heavy swords deal ×2 DMG**

It wasn't the best, but I could make due. I decided to see if I could increase my rank only by learning more of it, before using my Up.

I'd also checked what exactly the Argent shards were.

**Argent shard (Poor)**

**-A small shard of crystalized demonic energy. It is pretty useless on its own.**

**-Can combine with nine others to make an Argent fragment.**

**Argent fragment (Common)**

**-A fragment of crystalized demonic energy. Can be infused into items.**

**-Can combine with nine others to make an Argent gem.**

**-Effect: +1 Alienis DMG/ +1 Alienis Protection**

The effect was surprising, but I actually liked it. Wonder what I could get from the gems, and whatever came next.

But at that point it was nearing morning, so I had to get back. Silently, I took my clone's place, and waited for the others to wake up.

* * *

**-Morning, day 18 (Wednesday), forest-**

Gaia woke up about an hour after I came back, and we decided it was for the best if we started moving again. A few minutes later I had everything stashed away, and Pyra was still asleep on Gaia's back; I kept an eye on her in case she looked about to fall… not that I didn't think Gaia was capable, it was just to stay on the safe side.

During the remainder of our march we didn't say much. I didn't know Gaia's motivations, but I was thinking about an element that kept popping up lately: Alienis. Its meaning itself was confusing, as while most elements can be described with one or a few words, this one was much more complex.

Ignis could he described as fire, Telum would be described as violence, but Alienis… it indicated something beyond normal understanding, hence 'Alien'. Most things connected with it came from remote locations, or places where very few beings could go. As an example, you can take the void between dimensions: it is highly saturated of Alienis vis, along with a few others in small quantities.

Maybe it was just a coincidence: I only got my summoning skill because I used the **DICE** perk, after all. The ID was probably a result of my summoning, after all it must have been so much different from the normal ones for a reason. I could try getting another summoning skill, and see if I would get another arena from it.

But I couldn't do that with only 9K Gp… or rather, I could, but it would be a rather useless skill. I needed to farm Gp once again… though it would be much less efficient while on the move.

Soon after I escaped my mental rambling, we found ourselves in sight of the village. When we approached, a small number of guards came over to us.

"Identify yourselves and your reason for being here, dragons and… whatever you are supposed to be," demanded one who I assumed to be their leader.

"I am a wandering merchant, and traveled to your village in hopes of selling some of my wares, along with buying supplies for our journey ahead. I am Daniel. My companions—" I pointed towards each dragoness as I introduced them "—are Gaia and Pyra."

The leader —who I hadn't **Observed** because I didn't feel it necessary— observed me with a scrutinizing gaze, although there wasn't much that could be seen inside my cloak's hood. After a few seconds he moved back, and motioned us towards the gate.

As we followed him inside the village, I gave an inner sigh, relieved that I didn't have to deal with more 'Ape' comments.

Inside the village, I told the girls to go do their own thing, as I had some business to deal with. I left Lytos with them, for a bit of extra insurance… not that I expected trouble, but I tended to worry a bit too much every now and then.

While we were separated, I approached the two guards that had been trying to stalk us. They were understandably surprised that I spotted them; they weren't that bad at hiding. It's just that my **Sixth sense **had been blaring since they started following us.

* * *

**-Meanwhile, Lytos' P.O.V-**

Directive: protection of entities: 'Pyra' and 'Gaia'.

Directive assimilated. Behaviour set to: protect.

Entity: 'Gaia' moving. Must follow.

Warning: detected unauthorized attempt to access to inner vis circuit. Behaviour set to: forced removal.

Error! Entity: 'Pyra' recognized. Behaviour and directive conflicting.

Behaviour set to: gentle dissuasion.

Behaviour effective. Noted.

Must keep following.

Vocal command recognized: "Leave us alone"

Command in conflict with Master Directive: cannot protect entities if not present. Command invalidated.

…

Detected prints… scouring memory…

Match found: 'Ape'; Designation: Enemy.

Behaviour set to: hunt and eliminate.

Behaviour and directive conflicting: leaving will increase chance of risk for entities: 'Pyra' and 'Gaia'.

Behaviour set to: retaliation.

Detected increased heartbeat in entity: 'Pyra'. Detected trembling in entity: 'Pyra'. Detected increased breathing in entity: 'Pyra'.

Possible diagnosis: fear

Scouring memory… behavioral response unavailable. Action unavailable.

Detected behavioral pattern in entity: 'Gaia'. Observing…

Behaviour registered. Designation: reassurance.

Vital signs of entity: 'Pyra' are returning to normal status.

Warning! Entity: 'Pyra' is proceeding to a high risk zone. Behaviour set to: intercept.

Capture attempt failed. Behaviour set to: chase.

…

Analysis… 7 hostile creatures detected. Entity: 'Pyra' under threat. Behaviour set to: eliminate.

Enemy eliminated. Hostiles remaining: 6. Attack from above detected. Attacker eliminated. Hostiles remaining: 5

Multiple attacks detected. Execute spell: 'Rock skin'. Channeling vis…

Attacks deflected. Resume combat. Enemy eliminated. Hostiles remaining: 4. Enemies out of close range. Execute spell: 'Magnitude'. Channeling vis… Enemies toppled. Maneuver: 'Smash' executed. Hostiles remaining: 2.

Hostiles attempting escape. Execute spell: 'Stalactite'. Channeling vis… Aiming… Fire.

Hostiles remaining: one.

Detected plea: mercy. Against Master Directive. Error! Directive conflicts with Core Directive: must take no less than one prisoner for interrogation. Behaviour set to: capture.

Executing spell: 'Rock shell'. Channeling vis…

Enemy designation changed to: Prisoner. Prisoner immobilized. Threat eliminated. Behaviour set to: protect.

* * *

**Chapter a bit shorter than normal, but since I had it ready in a few days I think it balances off. This is a sort-of apology for making you guys wait so much last time. I promise I'll stay on schedule now.**

**I noticed that I was giving Lytos some moments where it seemed like he had a consciousness, so I decided to remind you that he is still an emotionless golem: he thinks like a machine, quite literally. The only reason why he acts like you know is because he learns by mimicry. And, if you're curious about his spells, here's what they would look like to Daniel.**

* * *

**Rock skin (25 Mp/sec)**

**-Tired of papercuts? This is the spell for you!**

**-DMG taken: -100**

**-Unarmed DMG: +20**

* * *

**Magnitude (25 Mp/lvl)**

**-Wobble goes the earth, down go the people!**

**-Level of this spell depends on Mp spent. Max: lvl 10.**

**-Range: 2×lvl metres**

**-DMG: 25×lvl**

**-Chance to topple enemies: 10×lvl %**

* * *

**Stalactite (20 Mp)**

**-These stones **_**will**_** break your bones!**

**-DMG: 100**

* * *

**Rock shell (Variable Mp)**

**-Great for making lawn decorations!**

**-Covers the target in rock, preventing movement. Some may still escape.**

**-Cost depends on surface covered.**

* * *

**Okay, so with that out of the way, I'll answer both chapter 6 and 7's reviews, as I couldn't last time!**

**Remzal Von Enili (ch 6): "Mate. Don't spoil the ending. Not cool."**

**Ethhar (ch 6): "Cue 'yes, but actually no' meme. The contracts are limited only to characters that have been established as existing in their own universe. So Steve is a choice, but a thaumaturge? Without some detail, it wouldn't work."**

**Ethhar (ch 7): "I don't think so. **_**Maybe**_** I could put in something from Ars Magica, but I severely doubt it. You see, I used Thaumcraft as more of a base for a magical system than for the contents of the mod itself. That is also the reason of the 'reordering' I gave the spells. Auromancy here isn't a thing on its own: it's just one more way of using magic. Specifically, the way used by people without an active mana core. People unlike Daniel. If you paid attention, you should've noticed that while the book said to gather vis from the air, he got mana from within. That's because he was only using Auromancy as a way to visualize what to do. The skills like Pyromancy were called that only because Daniel viewed them as such. Had he tried to recreate Agi, but visualizing it as Auromancy, he would've had a double spell that did the same thing, because it was just the same.**

**So no, I have no need to add more Minecraft mods. Actually, since you are much more experienced than me with them, why don't you try and make a story like that? I'd definitely read it!"**

**Guest (ch 6): "You'll have to wait like everyone else. There's a lot of stuff with Spyro in the main cast, let our OCs have their screentime… plus,, Daniel is nowhere near strong enough to fight him. This is 50~years after Malefor's defeat, so it's obvious that he's much stronger."**

**775113 (ch 6): "Huh. Go figure."**

**DanRalof (ch 6): "Sorry not sorry. I had planned this for a **_**long**_** while, so I was going to get that elemental demon gamer, no matter what. But don't worry, the further evolutions will be **_**hella cool**_**."**

**Justsomeguy16 (ch 6): "Why yes, he's versatile… but not that good at dealing with many enemies, as you can see. Or rather, many enemies around his level. He needs to improve a lot still. As for tech… I have a few plans. The most advanced world I'm planning for now is SMT, but it ain't going to stop me. Didn't I add the DOOM demons? Who's to say I am not planning more?"**

**Justsomeguy16 (ch 7): "Yes, I did miss that chance, and I slightly regret it now, but I have plans for a lot more references, whether trough items or skits. And as for Pyra and Gaia getting to benefit from the Game… well, I suppose they could, but very indirectly. If it wasn't explained well when it came up, to link another being to the Game Daniel needs to synchronize them to his mana, and that only works on mana-less beings… that feels like a spoiler for some reason… oh well! Anyway, because of that, beings like Gaia or Pyra cannot be connected to the system. Daniel might make things for them trough his crafting skills, or something, but they won't be directly getting stronger like him."**

**21firemario (ch 6): "Eiha… nah. I mean, nothing against it, but that would imply turning Mudo into pure insta-death… I don't like it. I personally would prefer doing how I kept it right now… so no Eiha or Kouha. Sorry. Alll the other spells, and some physical skills will be there, though."**

**zackman2k12 (ch 7): "YOU'RE WELCOOOOOME!"**

**Spyro fanboy (ch 7): "Glad to see you didn't give up on me, and enjoyed the chapter! And for the main Spyro cast… I have something big planned to end the Spyro ark, and they play a part in it, but… you'll have to wait. I am planning for this ark to be 15~ish chapters long, maybe more. And yes, if you forgot, we are not staying in Avalar forever."**

**The3rdOverlord (ch 7): "Here you go."**

**P.S. If you have an idea for some omakes, pm me! I might write it, either at the end of a chapter or in an omake-full chapter!**


	9. 1-9 The apprentice

**-Morning, Day 18 (Wednesday), Pyra's P.O.V.-**

When Daniel told us to go on without him I got a bit angry: why didn't he want us with him? Then, I remembered that he was a supposed to sell his potions. I supposed he was right in going alone, since that was a grown-up thing to talk about, and he probably felt like someone had to take care of me while he wasn't around… I didn't! I was old enough to be alone!

I was pretty curious about the golem, Lytos, he called it. It looked just like Daniel, but with way less details and a little shorter. It had also something weird on the top of its head, like there were holes, but someone plugged them up. I tried touching them, but as soon as I grazed it, it reeled away from me and pulled its arm back. I was sure it was about to hit me right then, but it stopped.

Instead, it lightly took my paw and pushed it towards me, shaking its head 'no'. I thought it would be best if I didn't try again.

Miss Gaia didn't look very happy for some reason.

"Who does he even think he is? Who does he take me for? 'Added safety'… yeah, right. He probably thinks I'm unable to fight without wings. I'll show him…" She muttered, not even looking where she was going. At one point, she turned to Lytos. "Oi, dirtbag! Go tell your creator that we don't need you around! Leave us alone!"

Lytos didn't react in anyway.

"Tsk. Figures. Of course it won't listen to me."

She returned to plodding around, looking annoyed. I didn't really see the problem: Lytos was very quiet, the village looked nice, and the cheetahs weren't giving us any trouble.

* * *

"_No… Not again… Why here?! No! We need to leave! Run, fly, GO! They're gonna take them away again! No, no no no no NO NO NO!_"

A touch brought me back to the here and now. Gaia was nuzzling me.

"_Right. I'm not alone. Miss Gaia is strong. Daniel is strong too… I guess Lytos as well… they'll protect me. I… I don't want to be weak, though. I want to be strong like them! I… I killed an ape before! I can do it again! I need to protect them!"_

Convinced as I was in my goal, I jumped down from Miss Gaia's back, avoided Lytos's grab and went further into the alleys. I could hear Lytos following me.

I turned a corner, and found them. They were big, smelly and ugly, just like in my nightmares. They noticed me, so I couldn't run away. I snarled, and tensed. I tried to breathe fire on them.

Why didn't it work?

Why didn't I move?

"_Come on! Move! Spit fire, scratch them, yell, run, something!_"

I couldn't move a muscle. I was too scared.

I wasn't strong enough.

Grayish-brown feet jumped in front of me. Lytos had arrived. He immediately ran at the apes.

He was… brutal. I'd only seen once something so gory, and both were because of Apes. First Daniel, and now Lytos. A whirlwind of punches, spells, blades, screaming and blood. By the time he was done, bodies were littering the alley and the last ape was bound to the ground, unconscious.

Miss Gaia arrived in time to see the tail end of the horrific scene. Neither of us said anything for a good while.

"I think—" I swallowed "—I think we should call Daniel."

* * *

**-A few minutes later, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

"I assure you sir, you will soon come back for more. I doubt you'll find other potions quite like that anywhere else!" I finished my speech, hoping that my LUK would help me.

The middle-aged cheetah in front of me furrowed his brows.

"What you say can definitely be great for our village, if not Avalar as a whole. The main question is one, though: do you have proof of their effectiveness?" He asked with a scrutinizing look.

I allowed myself a light grin: it was perfect! I just had to demonstrate what I said, and the deal was already done!

"I can prove it to you easily, just give me a willing subject—" I tired to say, but was interrupted from the door opening behind me. I turned around, finding Gaia standing behind me with a grim expression.

"We have a situation. A group of apes had infiltrated the village. We have managed to catch one of them… rather, the golem did. I thought it best to come tell you without the ape in tow, as it would have caused panic otherwise."

The chieftain rose from his chair quickly, acting like a much younger man, and quickly walked out while motioning for us to join him. We did so, along with the two guards outside of his house… hut… I didn't really know what to call it, it was bigger than a hut, had several rooms, but it didn't seem right to call it a house… bah, moving on.

We moved quickly with Gaia guiding us and the people jumping out of our way as soon as they got a glimpse of the chieftain's face: he was on a warpath. Nothing was said until we reached an alley, where we found Pyra standing behind Lytos, and an ape almost engulfed into the ground. A quick **Observe** to both my… friends, I think? Showed that they were both in perfect health. The ape, on the other hand, was knocked out. Perfect.

"Sir," I begun "I have an idea that will both help avoid unwanted attention from the populace on this matter, and prove that my potions actually work."

He motioned for me to continue.

"This here—" I pulled out a bottle with a grey liquid inside "—is an invisibility potion. We can tie up the ape more securely, make it drink my potion, and drag it off to… wherever you plan to keep it. As long as we are careful about it, no one will know."

The chieftain considered it for a moment, and then motioned for me to go on. I nodded to Lytos, and he let the ape plop out of the soil. A few moments later, the ape was tied up, and I was shoving a potion down the ape's gullet. Within a few seconds the potion took effect and the ape vanished from our sight, leaving only ropes to show where it was.

I stepped away from the ape, and the chieftain motioned his soldiers to take the unconscious ape. "Thank you for the help, we'll take it from here."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

All the cheetahs seemed perplexed at my reaction.

"What do you mean, what? We have to interrogate the ape, and there's no way I'm bringing a merchant, a child, a former soldier, and..." he waved his hand towards Lytos "…whatever this is, with us. As it stands, you're civilians."

I wanted to protest. I wanted to say that we had the right to know, but… he was right.

And thinking about it, I didn't even need it. I had an insider who could tell me! …Possibly.

As the chieftain and the soldiers left, I pursed my lips in contempt. "Well. We came here mainly so that I could sell some stuff, and maybe buy a few things. Ain't got enough rupees for what I wanted to get, can't sell my potions…" I turned to the ladies "…You two have any ideas?"

Before they could say anything, one of the guards came back. "The chief told me to warn you that once he's done with the interrogation he'll call you back so that you can hash out a price for the potions. He's very interested in what else you may have." With his piece said, he left again.

We all stood in silence for a few seconds.

"I'm hungry," said Pyra.

* * *

After we all found ourselves a nice spot, we had lunch. Now, we were chatting around to pass the time.

And I was confused.

"What do you mean you can't do a fireball?"

Pyra shrugged. "I never really tried. Dad said I was too young for that."

Gaia nodded at that. "Yeah, breaths are easier for someone your age… actually, how old _are_ you two exactly? I don't think we ever mentioned it."

Well, now that she mentioned it, I was curious. "I'm seventeen, you two?"

"Thirteen."

"Thirty-six."

I'll let you guess who said what.

I was still confused: were streams of fire really easier than fireballs? Well, possibly. Only one way to try.

I got up, pointed my palm towards a clear spot in the sky, and poured a continuous stream of fire-elemental mana trough my arm, instead of a burst like I would for a fireball. The result was, as you'd expect, a cone of flames as big as I was erupting from my hand. I noted that it was, in fact, easier than a fireball.

Satisfied with my experiment, I turned to go back to my spot, but stopped when I saw the amazed looks on the ladies' faces.

"Ok, first, why'd you do that. And second, how'd you make it so strong?" Asked Gaia.

"Felt like it. And it just came out like that."

"That… was strong enough put adult dragons to shame…" said Gaia breathlessly. She must've been impressed.

**-Gaia's mind-**

"_Whatever he is, he's got enough magic to dwarf the average dragon! This kid's terrifying! And he said he's fast enough to keep up with me… just how powerful is he?!"_

**-Back to Daniel-**

Pyra rushed right in front of me. "Can you teach me? Please, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease?" She then unleashed the most powerful weapon known to the universe: the puppy-dog eyes.

**Mental status [Charm] negated**

At least I was now immune to it. Still, I didn't see why I shouldn't help Pyra some.

Oh, right. Because I had no idea how draconic magic worked when compared to me.

**Patch integrated: 1.0.2**

**-New feature: Apprentices**

***Each apprentice has talents, aptitudes, difficulties, and inabilities detailing what they'll learn immediately, learn quickly, learn with difficulty, and be unable to learn. **

***Apprentices may learn any of your techniques or spells, as long as they possess the minimum stats and eventual pre-requisite skills.**

***Apprentices will increase their stats faster under your guidance.**

***You may have a maximum of three apprentices at any time.**

***Your apprentices cannot be of a level higher than yours -20**

**-Minor bug fixes**

"_I… that's awfully convenient, isn't it?" _I wondered. Could it be that the game could use my own thoughts to improve itself? It seemed likely.

Still, I could now say yes to Pyra, and not have to worry too much.

"Of course I'll teach you Pyra! I promise that by the time I'm done with you you'll be the strongest dragon in the whole wide world!" I stupidly answered.

**How to train your dragon**

**Objectives:**

**-Help Pyra reach level 100**

**-Teach Pyra 25 spells/techniques (+500.000 Xp, 125.000 Gp, Permanent ally, new perk)**

**Bonus objectives:**

**-Help Pyra reach level 150 (+250.000 Xp, 50.000 Gp, 100 Upgrade points)**

**-Teach Pyra 50 spells/techniques (new item, new perk, 100 Upgrade points)**

I blinked in surprise. I didn't expect my game to take it literally, but I supposed that it was fair: I did make a promise, and I might as well keep it. Plus, the rewards were damn great to boot.

Pyra's big eyes were matched by just as big of a grin, and I took the chance to see where she was at with her level and stats… low VIT, somewhat average physical scores, and a good MAG. Level 20. It would take a while, but Pyra would become a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

**-A bit later…-**

I spent a while talking to Gaia about it, having her teach me how the basics of draconic magic worked. She was surprised that I didn't know, after my impromptu performance earlier. I had to tell her that I was just doing things by instinct, and that I wanted to know what differences there were between my own kind and draconic magic. She took it well, and explained.

To sum it up, dragons had a magical core in their chest, just between the stomach and the heart. The magic in their core, differently from mine, took on an element's properties on its own, differently from my method of changing the mana on my own. Due to a dragon's innate element, they couldn't use any others. Well, there were exceptions, but the dragon in question was stuff of the legends apparently, so she didn't dwell much on that.

The rest of the explanation isn't important for now, so let's skip it.

Just that small tidbit threw away a good chunk of what I wanted to teach Pyra out of the proverbial window. Good news was, I could now see her skills and talents whenever I **Observed** her.

**Talents: Ignis magic**

**Aptitudes: Quadrupedal combat, Ordo magic, Fulguris magic**

**Difficulties: Bipedal combat**

**Inabilities: All magic not listed above**

**Skills:**

**-Combat**

***Draconic (Novice)**

**-Magic**

***Ignis magic (Initiate) +5**

**Flame breath**

**Flame breath (10 Mp/sec)**

**-Heavy breathing much?**

**-DMG: 50(+5)/sec**

Yeah, that was it. I didn't expect much else from a child, though, so it was fine. More room to grow. I was a bit confused as to why she had the chance to use also Ordo and Fulguris, but chose to not dwell on it. I wasn't familiar with dragons enough to make any assumptions, anyway.

I had to devise a plan to train Pyra: I wanted the rewards, and I was a man of my word. The first step was to increase my own repertoire of spells, along with helping Pyra increase her stats. Simple enough: one day physical training (not too much, she's young), one day some magical training, one day rest, then rinse and repeat. For the moment our main interest was to increase her resistance and speed, so running would do. Maybe some obstacle courses as well?

I would train with Pyra as well, increasing the Gravity Seal's counter so that I could benefit from it as well. To be honest, I hadn't done much traditional training lately: it was disorienting to have my physical abilities halved, and I needed time to get used to it.

After I was done devising my plan, as well as enlisting Gaia's help in teaching Pyra physical combat, I used once again the bathroom excuse to switch myself with a clone. I had to give a call to Zilan.

I asked him why there were apes all the way over here, and what exactly Egul was planning. It took a bit over 10 minutes for him to answer.

**Message from: Zilan**

**I'm not entirely sure what that squad was doing all the way in that small village, but I can guess: word has it that Egul wants to recruit you. He may be willing to pay a lot for your services, considering all the rumors around you. I don't know about you, but it might be a good way to get close to him.**

**Things are getting way worse here, whatever you're planning to get rid of him better happen quick. After you and those dragons decimated his forces, he's been conscripting apes left and right like nobody's business. I feel he's getting desperate, but don't let that fool you: he's a crafty bastard.**

I frowned at reading those news. It was a good plan, but it would require me doing work for the apes before anything could come out of it. And even then, I only had one ape that would've been certainly happy about that. So, I had a plan: create an alter ego that would try to foil my plans most often than not (I needed some successes to get Egul's trust), and in the meantime fuel a rebellion.

The rebellion could be left to Zilan. For now, I told him to test the waters, and see if that was possible. In the meantime, I had to develop my alter ego, and that meant a completely different moveset. I had to replace specifically my sword, dark magic, and fire magic. That was pretty much all my enemies should've been aware of. Ice could work, but I needed something else to use along with it, and also a new weapon. I had a decent halberd skill, so I could probably use that.

The next thing on my list was to increase my magical repertoire.

My first idea was to copy from Skyrim for a number of spells. The first experiment had been the Firebolt, as I would still need more fire spells to teach Pyra.

Within an empty ID, I cast an Agi, but instead of letting it fly I compressed it. The much smaller ball of fire gave me an idea, and I continued to feed mana to the spell while concentrating the flames even more. The result was a tennis ball-sized white ball of fire violently shaking in my hand. I pointed it far away from me and it flew.

The resulting blast was well above what I expected to see, downright eradicating the soil within two to three meters from the blast, along with setting fire to anything burnable within several more meters of range.

**Agidyne (100 Mp)**

**-Giant fireballs of 'fuck you'**

**-DMG: 400(+25)**

I grinned like a maniac. Sure, I was planning something different, but damn if it wasn't cool! I quickly replicated the spell with Gelum mana, so that I could use also Bufudyne.

Since I was replicating things, I made a fire-elemental Cryotelum, so Ignotelum.

Giving more attention to my infusion spells gave me an idea: why couldn't I use that technique also onto my own body? That experiment, after a couple of burns because I exaggerated with the mana, resulted into Ignicorpus and Cryocorpus.

With those two taken care of, I had to make some differences between the styles. My idea was to make flaming whips and ice shields. Unfortunately, I couldn't do either.

**Spell creation failed.**

**Required skill: Ordo magic (Expert)**

"_So there's the problem. I mean, I get it: bigger constructs require me being better at imposing order to my mana. At least I'm just one rank away."_

I just had to increase my level a bit, and then I would've been able to get that easily. I just needed 11 levels, after all… and maybe another 25 to get a rank-up in my Halberd combat. So… 36 levels total. Could I do it? Maybe. My best choice was decimating a lower-leveled dungeon, and then do it again with the double Xp modifier.

I chose the ape dungeon, since I wanted to do them in order, and proceeded with a systematic slaughter. At that point, the mooks couldn't survive even a basic Agi, so I was free to just spam my spells to get rid of them. The commanders died just as easily, and so did the Shamans. It was just pitiful. The Gorillas were al tad hardier, but an Agidyne each got rid of them. It didn't take longer than an hour! At least, it netted me the 11 levels I absolutely needed.

The Dungeon God was… surprising, though it fit.

**Sun Wukong**

**Lv 70**

**Hp: 600/600**

**Mp: 200/200**

**STR: 75**

**VIT: 60**

**DEX: 90**

**AGI: 95**

**MAG: 20**

**LUK: 10**

**The king of monkeys. He's also known as Seiten Taisei. He was supposedly born from a rock at the summit of a mountain. He wants to take revenge for the apes you killed.**

I immediately let loose an Agidyne to be rid of him. His speed could be a problem if I let him go on. He managed to avoid the brunt of the blast, but got caught in the edge of the flames. While he rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames, I flash-froze him with Bufudyne. A quick stomp to the head got rid of him.

**Dungeon god: Sun Wukong lv 70 killed!**

**You gained 35.000 Xp!**

**You gained 1.400 Gp!**

**You leveled up! (115 – 116) You gained 5 Stat points and 1 Upgrade point! +1 DEX, +1 AGI, +4 MAG!**

**You have completed the Ape ID! You can now run through it for double the normal amount of Xp!**

I grinned. While I did want to go again and scrounge up a crapload of Xp, I couldn't spend too much time away at that point. I could've sent Lytos trough it, but… I needed him for whenever I wasn't around.

"_Hold up. I can have another being in my party now."_

I immediately pulled out of my inventory one of my rock golems, and performed the mana synchronization on it.

The rocks that made up the golem became sleeker, looking more like a single piece. Its stance was a bit more upright now, and in general it seemed more reliable.

"I dub thee Petrus! Make me proud!"

**Petrus – Magic infused rock (+10 DEX, AGI, +20 VIT, +30 STR, +15 MAG)**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 15 (0/3.000)**

**Hp: 350/350**

**Mp: 10/10**

**STR: 25 (55)**

**VIT: 20 [35] (55)**

**AGI: 9 (19)**

**DEX: 10 (20)**

**MAG: 1 (16)**

**LUK: 10**

I took ten or so minutes to help Petrus gain a few levels and get his speed to a more decent score. After that, I took away the mana I put inside him. Guess what? He kept the same level and stats! The bonuses disappeared, but everything else was the same. So, I could easily use my IDs to power up my golems, and then cut them off from the game to get a big number of strong minions.

* * *

**-Meanwhile…-**

"Is everything ready, brother?" Asked the taller figure.

"Have patience," uttered the smaller figure. "Almost all the pieces are ready. Soon, we shall be rid of that accursed dragon. 'Tis all a matter of time now…"

"But what for? Is he not powerful enough already? Nidhoggr is growing in power every moment, this may be our best chance!"

Loki shook their head, amused. "No, not yet. Trust in my judgement, brother. We just need to give him an incentive to grow faster. Give him… a week more. He shall be ready by then."

Thor cringed slightly, but acquiesced nonetheless. "So be it. One week, no more." He sighed. "I only hope you are right. It does not feel correct to send him against a beast of that measure."

* * *

**-Nightfall, day 18 (Wednesday), Grublin ID, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

I quickly rushed in, grabbed the Summoner's face, and slammed the head of his back in the ground.

**Dungeon boss: Grublin Summoner lv 60 killed!**

**You gained 45.000 Xp! **

**You gained 1.200 Gp!**

I cleaned my hands of its blood with some quick water magic… what? I hadn't forgotten it, just ignored it in favor of more useful spells.

Speaking of ignored things, I did have an affinity for electricity; could I use it?

Stuck as I was in my musings and spell-designing, I almost didn't notice the new enemy that flew down in front of me.

Its body was a mix between a body and a fly, with a head that was definitely that of a fly. It held a staff with a human skull on top. The picture was completed by the garishly bright blue, yellow, and reds all over its body.

I had an idea of what it was, but I had to be sure.

**Baelzeboul - Lord of the flies (Allows use of the spell 'Death flies')**

**Lv: 100**

**Hp: 750/750**

**Mp: 1.500/1.500**

**STR: 60**

**VIT: 75**

**AGI: 110**

**DEX: 85**

**MAG: 120**

**LUK: 50**

**A shadow of one of the most powerful demons. Its power is a mere fragment of the true Baelzeboul, but it still packs quite the punch.**

_"Better do this quick, you never know what it could do,"_ I though, and prepared my tried and true strategy: spam **Agidyne** until it dies.

The first spell flew wide, as Baelzeboul flew out of the blast's range quickly. I followed up with an **Agilao** and a **Mudoon**, predicting its path. What I didn't account for was the enemy shrugging off my spell like nothing, and it bouncing back to me. I managed to sidestep it, fortunately.

**Enemy skill: [Reflect Dark] active!**

_"So that's how it is. I suppose it's fair for a demon to be immune to darkness. Let's see what it isn't immune to, then!"_

I went into Blackfire mode, and threw all the different elemental spells I could at him: ice, fire, order, death.

**Enemy skill: [Resist Ice] active! Damage is halved!**

**Enemy skill: [Null Death] Active!**

"_So We're down to fire and order… need to add more elements to my arsenal."_

I threw a few **Agi** to keep Baelzeboul busy, and rushed in. I jumped up to meet his ugly mug, and screamed. "MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!"

I let loose as many **Ignocorpus**-empowered punches as I could, and at the end added some mana spikes to boot.

"MUDAAA!" I cried as I punched big-face so hard that it flew down to the ground with a sickening crunch.

I landed with a giant grin on my face. _"God, I always wanted to do that! It's no seven-page-muda, but I'll get there. I do want a Stand… could I buy a Stand Arrow?"_

**Dungeon god: Baelzeboul lv 100 killed!**

**You gained 100.000 Xp!**

**You gained 20.000 Gp!**

**You leveled up! (150 – 153) You gained 15 Stat Points and 3 Upgrade points! +3 DEX and AGI, +12 MAG!**

**You have completed the Grublin ID! You can now run through it for double the normal amount of Xp!**

Welp, I had enough points now! I sacrificed 50 out of my 63 Upgrade Points to increase **Ordo magic** and **Halberd** to Expert rank, and made some clones as soon as my Mp recovered a bit. I could now create a veritable horde of clones with my 33K Mp. In total, I made twelve (thirteen with the one I had left behind with Pyra and Gaia to conduct business): six would come up with ideas for new spells using my increased ability for constructs, and the other six would spar with each other, trying to apply my ability for constructs to themselves and hopefully becoming more durable.

In the meantime, I worked on increasing my arsenal: specifically gaining some electricity, wind, and a way to weaponize shadow.

First off the list: electricity. Thankfully I had a few clones study the book on elemental magic a while ago, so I had an idea of what to look for. The gist of it was to overcharge the air around me, gather electrons, and then use Ordo magic to make it follow a path… maybe not in those exact words, but the point still stands.

I did just as I described, although it took a few tried to understand just how to attract the electrons. The rest was easy. Whether that was because of my high Ordo skill or some latent Electricity affinity, I neither knew nor cared.

The first set of spells was supposed to be easy enough…

**Zio (20 Mp)**

**-Jolt of lightning that will shock your foes!**

**-100 DMG**

**Spell creation failed.**

**Required skill: Fulgur magic (Initiate)**

…Until that happened. I did have five points to spend, though. That left me with 8 Up, but at least I could create also **Mazio**.

Looking through my list of spells, I realized that my **Sano magic** skill was sitting at Master rank, and I'd barely done anything with it! I quickly created **Media** and **Mediarama** to have some AOE heals, but I had no idea on how to increase them any further… thoughts for a later date.

Wind was even easier: I just had to create air currents and shape them. Admittedly, it was difficult to shape something like air, but once I got the gist of it it became quite easy.

I had to spend 5 Up again, unfortunately, but at that point I didn't mind: I could just get more.

**Zan (20 Mp)**

**-A painful blast of wind**

**-100 (+5) DMG**

**Mazan (20 Mp/enemy)**

**-Omnidirectional blast of wind**

**-90 (+5) DMG**

One of the spellcrafting clones dispelled itself, sending its group's ideas, along with a few spells.

**Burning whip (50 Mp/sec)**

**-Flames lashing out to your aid**

**-150 (+25) DMG/hit**

**-50 DMG/second of prolonged contact**

**Red petals (5 Mp/petal)**

**-Embers of hellfire scorching the land**

**-15 (+25) DMG/petal**

**Blazing dome (40 Mp/sec)**

**-A burning embrace**

**-Ice damage -25 (+25)**

**Frozen aura (25 Mp/sec)**

**-The breath of Jotunheim comes forth**

**-Enemy AGI and DEX -5 (+25)**

**Armor of Agathys (100 Mp)**

**-Blessing of ice envelops you**

**-Protection +20 (+25)**

**-Magic protection +35 (+25)**

**Icicle rain (30 Mp/square meter/sec)**

**-Icy needles to skewer your enemies**

**-5 (+25) DMG/icicle**

I whistled at the long list of spells, appreciating the sheer amount of trial and error it took to make them.

I still had things left on my list, but decided to let the spellcrafting clones handle it. Instead, I went over to my sparring clones. They'd formed a circle around two others who were going at it unarmed. I could even see a couple placing bets.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat to get the crowd's attention. They all turned to me, surprised.

"Oh, hey boss. Need something?" One of the clones asked

"Why yes. I thought you were supposed to be training to use a halberd?"

It was weird to see myself deadpan, and yet it happened. "We only have one. How are we supposed to do that?"

I blinked. I'd totally forgot!

I quickly went to the shop, and purchased some cheap (yet relatively nice) halberds, for 1.000 Gp each; a total of 6.000 Gp. I then distributed the halberds to my clones.

"Say," begun one of the clones "can we finish our fight first?"

I shrugged. "As long as you get to work afterwards, I don't mind." I went to step away, but remembered an important detail I had forgone for a while: my equipment.

While I was happy with my sword and armor, it wouldn't cut it for far longer: my armor was on its way to breaking, and the sword had some signs of wear and tear as well. I might've been able to fix them if I had a forge and materials around, but at the moment I had neither.

What I did have was a shop that could sell me anything I wanted!

I browsed around, searching for some goodies…

...and goodies I did find!

**Praetor suit mk1 (Rare): 50.000 Gp**

**-The suit made only for the most powerful soldiers humanity had: the Praetors. This high-tech suit is engineered to resist all sorts of environments, but as it is a prototype it offers less protection than the finalized model.**

**-Durability: 500/500**

**-Protection +250(+10)**

**-Halves Fire, Ice, Blunt damage**

**-Required: 80 STR, VIT, AGI, DEX**

**Daedric longsword (Rare): 30.000 Gp**

**-A blade forged from one of the strongest materials in Tamriel and infused with the power and consciousness of a lesser Daedra. Weild at your own risk.**

**-Durability: 450/450**

**-30(+10) DMG**

**-Extra 20 DMG to holy beings**

**-Required: 75 STR, 70 DEX**

My eyes widened at reading the full description: they were even better than I expected!

The suit fit me like a glove, not hindering my movement in the slightest. Thank goodness that my level ups gave me a lot of points!

…Unfortunately, My VIT fell short of the requirement by 10 points. I ended up storing the suit away, and going to run for as long as I could.

* * *

**-Morning, Day 19 (Thursday), Daniel's P.O.V.-**

"That's right, keep it steady. You need to compress the mana, but don't exaggerate." I held out my hands towards Pyra, ready to cast **Aqua** if the fire went out of control.

After my training the last day, I decided that it was high time I taught Pyra as well. We chose to begin with some control exercises, to prepare her for the more complex spells. We'd been making great progress, probably due to her latent Ordo affinity, but I still wasn't entirely sure what would happen. I was winging it, you could say.

Slowly, I saw the ball of flame in her may get wider and hotter. I stopped her when it got about the same size of one of my usual **Agi**.

"Alright, you're doing great. Now, I want you to release it in that direction," I instructed her as I pointed to a wall of stone Gaia erected at my request.

She narrowed her eyes, and turned to the wall. The ball flew out of her mouth, striking the wall and scorching it slightly. Pyra slumped slightly, and I could see why: that single spell took more than twice the amount of mana it would for me. It seemed that she needed to work on conserving her mana: it was instinctive for me, as I had a good grasp of Ordo magic, but her… she'd need to start from the basics.

"That was a great first try! Take a moment to recover, and then try again. It took you… about a minute to finish casting. I want you to shorten that time by as much as you can, but try not to burn yourself out."

I left Pyra to rest, and took a moment to give another look to her status. My clone had done a bit of work yesterday with her, getting her to run around some. It was just light training, but it still helped her.

**Pyra Sun - Little flame [fire spells deal +25 DMG, +5 MAG]**

**Species: Dragon**

**Lv: 20 (2/5 Sp)**

**Hp: 100/100**

**Mp: 190/240**

**STR: 16**

**VIT: 10**

**AGI: 16**

**DEX: 17**

**MAG: 24 [29]**

**LUK: 19**

Yeah, apparently to help her level up I needed to help her increase her stats. That would've been easy, had it not been for one small fact: she was a child and needed to be careful with the training. Wouldn't want to stunt her growth.

"_With this regime of training, she should be able to get at the very least one level, maybe two, every week. If we were to keep it up for… say four months, she would reach level 100 easily. But then again, diminishing results are a thing. Maybe I could purchase another Gravity Seal for her?_

"_Thoughts for a later date."_

Pyra had begun casting again, showing already a better grasp of the spell at her second casting: it took her around ten seconds less than last time to let the fireball fly. She looked over to me, smiling brightly. She probably wanted some praise.

"You did much better this time, but don't stop. You still have a long way to go," I said as I made a fireball of my own and sent it flying: the whole process taking just a second.

Pyra's shoulders slumped a bit, but she returned to her perky self in a moment and got back to practicing.

While Pyra trained with her magic, I took the chance to improve my body: just some simple push-ups and pull-ups with a branch while I sealed my stats to one eighth of the norm. Needless to say, it was murder on my arms. It did help, though: in the hour or so it took for Pyra to finally tire herself out I'd gained a few points to all my physical stats.

I let go of the branch, and went over to Pyra, who was laying down breathing heavily. Her Mp was barely over 10. She did take breaks, but this was the lowest I'd seen her go at this point. I wasn't sure what effect using up all of her mana would have, but I didn't want to test it yet. She had gained a point in MAG for her troubles, though. Silver linings.

I sat next to Pyra and lightly pat her head. "You're doing a great job. Take some time to rest and recover, you earned it. After that, we'll move on to some internal control exercises."

She just groaned.

"Don't give me that attitude, you're the one who asked for training."

She groaned louder.

* * *

_**IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END, PLEASE READ IT.**_

**Hello my dear readers! I must apologize again to you all for the huge delay between updates… Senior year hit me like a truck.**

**Well then, I'm here, and soon I'll be on vacation, so expect some more stuff to come out relatively soon.**

**In other news, I have a new laptop now, and I moved over all of my notes here. That makes my job a lot easier, you know. I also took the chance to polish up some things a bit. A good part of this chapter was grinding, but I wanted to finally increase Daniel's arsenal a bit and add some things, like the weakness/resistance system.**

**As always, I have no beta here, so if you see any errors please contact me and I'll fix them as soon as I can.**

**Now, onto the reviews!**

**Ethhar: Eldritch research… I have barely an inkling of an idea of what you mean, and the only answer I can give you is later. Much, MUCH later. For now, he'll stick to what we have established. I'll consider it, though. Warp… I'll need to read up on it again. It's been a while, and I forgot the details. It might not, though, or if it does have some presence then it will be an important plot point. For now I want to concentrate on getting to the Netherworld. We can discuss what happens to him from then on in the sequel. Yes, sequel. This fic will end with Daniel's kingdom being established (that's what I'm planning at least), but I'll make a new fic to continue his story. Finally, OCs? Eeehhh… I'm kinda iffy on that. Give me a pm and we can talk about it.**

**Artekha: Glad to see you're enjoying the story so far! Hopefully I won't disappoint!**

**Zackman2K12: Welp, I tried. No omakes, I guess.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: About Daniel going through the multiverse… new plan. I have an travel plan ready, which I won't mention right now, but it's there. That plan will be used for the rest of the fic, but not to worry: your requests weren't discarded. When the main story ends, we'll be free to go universe-hopping as much as we want! So please, just be patient with me. I'll make it worth it, I promise… I hope.**

**As a side note, no Pyra won't take Sora's place. Sora is just… in a bad place right now and let's leave it at that. We've got to help him.**

**Xeno out.**


	10. 1-10 Loyalty

**-Morning, Day 20 (Friday)-**

"Supplies, check. Money, check. New wagon—" I looked over to the wagon one of my clones had purchased "—Check." I turned over to my two companions. "Well then ladies, I think we have all that we need to continue our travel. Shall we?"

Gaia nodded to me "I'd say it was about time, too. One question, though: how do you plan to move this cart again? I'm not doing it."

I waved off her concerns. "Don't worry, I have my solution." I then pulled Petrus out of my inventory and hitched him to the wagon. "Here's our transport!"

I had prepared for that, and got Petrus some levels last night. That way, I could push his stats as high as I could make them, valuing mostly strength and then agility/dexterity in equal measure. That resulted in the perfect transport method… if only he weren't so uncomfortable to sit on. I should've got him a saddle.

Ideas aside, Petrus was strong enough to pull the wagon without issue. I wasn't sure about Gaia though, as she was bigger than Petrus himself. The best choice was to have her follow us.

* * *

**-A few hours later…-**

"Sooo… care to remind us where we're going now?"

"Warfang, for now. It'll take a few more days, a week at most. We've got a pretty good pace right now, so I'd say… five days from now, barring accidents." I turned back to Gaia "Are you sure you're ok with continuing? We can take a bit so you can rest if you want."

She shook her head and moved her gaze back to where we were heading. "The forest was trickier, but long stretches of road aren't a big deal. I can go on, although we might want to have lunch at some point."

Speaking of lunch, I took inventory of my inventory… pfft. Anyway, I had enough food with me to feed the two dragons and myself for a couple of weeks, and more food in the back of the wagon if we ran into anyone: I had no intention to explain my abilities more than I already had.

The travel for the rest of the day was calm, which was a nice change of pace from the hectic grinding I tended to do. After dinnertime, we decided to settle down for the night. Pyra was sound asleep in the wagon, which had also some bedding stashed in, while Gaia and I were left keeping each other company.

"Say, Gaia…" I began "We've been travelling together for a while now, but we don't really know much about each other. I think it's about time we fixed that, don't you think?"

She pondered for a moment. "Well, I suppose that's fair. Question for question?" At my nod, she took the initiative. "So, where are you from? I doubt you're native to Avalar."

I winced a bit, but decided that lying would only end badly for me. "Well, you're right about that. As it is, I'm not here by choice: some things happened, and I was ripped away from my home. I'm doing my best to find a way back, though. Where I'm from… there's no dragons, no cheetahs, no apes… well, the last to a kinda false: we have some animals that look like them, and even have the same way, but they're way less intelligent then their counterparts here in Avalar."

Gaia's frown became more and more pronounced as she listened to my words. "That sounds like no place I've ever heard of. It's probably somewhere beyond the Great Sea, which begs the question: how did you get here?"

I pointed a finger at her. "Hey, one for one, forgot? My turn now. So, where are _you_ from?"

She huffed lightly, but acquiesced. "Northwest of Canaan. It was a small community, we disbanded fifteen-or-so years ago, when the news of Warfang being alive again finally reached us. I didn't want to abandon the place I knew, so I chose the best option and moved to Canaan. Now, about my question?"

I stared into the fire for a few seconds, wondering how I should put it. "You see," I began "I met a person who made a promise to my grandfather. That promise involved me. I'd rather not get into details, as I don't know them all myself, but what I can tell you is that he dropped me in here and that I'm supposed to find my way back. This is a sort of 'test' for me." I took notice of her confused look and added: "Yeah, it's as weird as it sounds for me too."

Neither of us said anything for a while, and I honestly appreciated the silence: I had no idea what I'd hoped to accomplish with that discussion. Still, I started it, so I might as well try to keep it going.

"Alright, my turn now. How did you meet Pyra's father? And since we're on topic, what was he like? I never had a chance to know him, you see."

She didn't answer for a few seconds, and I got worried that I'd hit a sore spot.

"He was a couple of years my senior when I joined Canaan's town guard. He was the one to show me the ropes, and taught me how to take advantage of my lack of wings in a fight. In an indirect way, but still. He… He was the kindest dragon you'd ever meet, so open and friendly… he never spoke of his childhood, and I can only guess as to why. I suppose that's a moot point now." She looked down halfway through her answer, unwilling to meet my eyes.

I didn't look at her either, and busied myself with feeding the fire pit some mana to keep it burning a while more.

I didn't look when I heard a soft patter on the ground.

I didn't look when she started sobbing.

Soon, Gaia cried herself to sleep, and I let her be. She needed to rest, to grieve.

I didn't.

* * *

**-Morning, Day 21 (Friday)-**

The next day, Gaia did her best to not look at me. I understood, and tried to avoid talking the her and let her have her space. She'd lagged behind some, but she had Pyra walking along to keep her company. She needed to work on her endurance anyway.

In the meantime, I busied myself with study. With the 2K or so GP left from my dungeon spree, I purchased a more in-depth manual on goleomancy. While the writer understood the concept somewhat differently from me, I could follow along easily enough.

"_So, the effect of a vis crystal is affected by its concentration and purity… so in theory a sufficiently concentrated and pure crystal would have the same effect as the ones I used up to now, allowing more space for extra modification… and if I could forge a metallic endo/exoskeleton for Lytos, that would improve his attack and defense immensely… A few concentrated Motus vis would counterbalance the extra weight…"_ In the middle of my mental rambling, I struck metaphorical gold. _"Wait, if I concentrated and connected Cognitio, Sensus, Intelligentia, and Victus… would that be enough to give a form of true intelligence?"_

As soon as I finished that thought, a notification popped up in front of me:

**Recipe unlocked: Mind core (Golem)**

I looked into my inventory, and in fact the blueprint wasn't there anymore. Instead, I could remember it all off the top of my head. It would take a few tries to find just the right combination, but I was sure I could finally give my golems a mind of their own. Without hesitation, I moved inside the wagon and left Lytos at the front. I was sure that he could deal with any issues that would've appeared.

Rereading the part about vis concentration, I proceeded to follow the instructions: first, I crushed the crystal into a fine dust. Then, I proceeded to set the dust in a fireproof container, and heated it up until the dust liquefied. Then add more vis dust in, cooling the result as fast as possible. Rinse and repeat for at least three more times, and then liquefy the crystal one last time.

I was honestly glad that my ice and fire magic skills were so high, otherwise I would've burned down everything by that point.

The next step was to carefully feed the liquid vis raw mana, just about until it started boiling. Finally, I just had to flash-freeze it one last time. Carefully, I broke off one chunk of vis and gave it a once over.

The crystal itself was a much more vibrant color than it was before, and I could catch sparks of active mana still floating inside.

**Concentrated Cognitio vis (Rare)**

**-Size: small**

**-Concentration: x4**

**-Goleomancy effect: +30 IQ**

It might've seemed as if it changed nothing, but considering that the chunk in my hand was about a quarter of what a normal crystal was, and that I still had enough left over for half a dozen of those chunks, I felt like I'd accomplished something.

Sure, I may have been a bit of an ass for working while Gaia mourned, but let's be real: it had nothing to do with me. Sure, I felt bad for her and all, but in the end I never met the guy. Why should I care?

Exactly.

* * *

The concentration process didn't take too much time for each batch, about fifteen minutes? So I ended up with a batch of Intelligentia, Victus, Sensus, Motus, Telum, and Tutamen concentrated crystals in less than two hours of work.

I didn't trust my chances to use clones with Gaia and Pyra so close to me, but decided to take a risk and use one. The clone went up to relieve Lytos of his wagon-driving duty, and sent him over to me.

The next hour was spent modifying Lytos heavily, mainly increasing his mental capacity and physical abilities. I even had the chance to increase his Terra affinity while I was there. The results were astounding.

**Lytos - Magic infused dirt [+75 STR, +55 VIT, +30 MAG, +40 DEX/AGI, +40 Protection, +40 Magic Protection]**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 84 (100/33.600)**

**Hp: 3.100/3.100**

**Mp: 1.125/1.125**

**STR: 80 [155]**

**VIT: 45 (129) [184]**

**AGI: 80 [120]**

**DEX: 80 [120]**

**MAG: 75 [105]**

**LUK: 60**

**Stat Points: 0**

**Protection: 40**

**Magic Protection: 40**

**IQ: 100**

Impressive, am I right?

Sure, I hadn't been able to create a Mind Core exactly, but I was more than capable to increase Lytos' mental capacity by quite the amount. With the new modifications, came also some physical changes for Lytos, as now he was taller than me, at 6 ft 2.

The rest of the day went by quickly, as I read more of the tome I'd purchased.

* * *

**-Morning, Day 22 (Saturday)-**

This day, Pyra was trying to emulate my self-enhancement spells… with varying degrees of success. She could use the spells in short bursts, but trying to do it more than that made them lash out. She lacked the raw control, and having a small mana pool such as hers didn't do her any favors, as she kept running out as soon as she seemed to be grasping the concept.

Thus, a new idea came to mind: I tried supplying Pyra some of my own mana, and have her try to manipulate it as her own.

The first sign was the aura emerging around Pyra: it wasn't the usual orange I'd associated with her, this was my light blue, but… wilder. Less restrained. It whipped around continuously.

The second sign was Pyra starting to tremble under my hands.

I only realized what was happening when she started to convulse, grunting in pain.

I had no idea what I'd done, so I did the first thing that popped up in my mind: I used **Observe**.

**Hp: 87/110**

**Mp: 304/250**

**Status effect: Mana oversaturation**

I tapped the effect, hoping to get more insight.

**Mana oversaturation: A being's magic core is overcharged, resulting in the extra mana spreading throughout the rest of the body unchecked. If the mana is not removed, the effect can deteriorate in [Mana Burn].**

Immediately, I did my best to drain the mana back into me, hoping at least to alleviate Pyra's pain. It worked after a few seconds, so I removed my hands, only for Pyra's own mana to surface. I had to keep draining away at Pyra's mana, to the point where she had less than half her maximum supply of mana.

This time I pulled my hands away reluctantly, keeping a vigilant eye on Pyra, hoping that nothing was going to happen that time. It seemed like I was in luck, as nothing seemed to be happening. Pyra was laying on her side, breathing deeply.

I stroked Pyra's head lightly, hoping to calm her down a bit. "Does it still hurt anywhere? How are you feeling?" I asked.

Pyra took a moment to regain her breath before answering me. "I'm sore all over… but it's better than before."

I winced at her words. "I'm so sorry you went through that, I had no idea I could cause something like that. Come here, you need to rest." I picked her up carefully, and set her down on the bedding on the back of the wagon.

It was tempting to use healing magic, but I didn't know how that would affect Pyra. Thus, I pulled out of my inventory a regeneration potion, and gave a few sips of it to Pyra. Then, after putting the bottle away, I stroked her head and neck until she fell asleep.

looking up, I met Gaia's eyes. She'd been peering inside the whole time. And she looked angry.

"Come out here. Now."

I had no choice but to obey, and forced Lytos to stop the wagon.

I hopped out, to be met by a very angry dragoness. She dragged me along by the cloak, and I barely had the time to register where we were: I could see Warfang in the distance, although it was hidden behind a few hills and a lot of trees. There were trees also around us, although we should've been able to get finally out of the forest within the next day.

I turned back to Gaia, and got an eye-full of fangs.

"Listen clearly, because I'm saying this only once: if you hurt Pyra in any way ever again, there will be nothing to save you from me. Understood?"

I took a step back, and nodded fervently. "Yes, yes, I understand. It was just an accident, I had no idea that something like that could happen—"

"Keep your excuses. I don't care about what you have to say. I'm sticking around with you just because Pyra likes you. Were it for me, I'd keep you on the other side of the world or several miles underground, whichever came easier. If I want you gone, you're gone. Got it?"

I nodded sullenly, without saying anything. What was there to say, anyway? I might've been stronger than her, sure, but in the end that's all I had going for me. I wasn't immortal, nor did I have more authority than her. I had vowed to keep Pyra safe, and if bowing my head every now and then was the way to go, then so be it.

Once we returned to the wagon, we were met with a chilling sight: Lytos and Petrus were laying on the ground, unmoving. I went immediately inside the cart, hoping that nothing had happened. There was no one inside: only a few sheets strewn all over. One thing caught my eye: a dagger was embedded in the floor of the wagon, and under it was a piece of paper.

I pulled it out, and **Observe**d it.

**Simian dagger – Uncommon**

**-DMG: 15**

**-A standard-issue dagger in the Ape army. The carvings on the side of the blade says that it belonged to a high-ranking officer.**

Needless, to say, I was furious. I turned my eyes to the paper, already knowing what to expect.

_Bring us the goleomancer, if you value the little red lizard's safety._

_We shall meet at sundown tomorrow, under the Well of Souls._

_The goleomancer shall come alone._

I grit my teeth in rage, and went back out. Gaia was looking around anxiously, as I had made barely any noise while I was iniside.

I tossed the dagger to the ground in front of Gaia's feet, and showed her the note.

"The apes took her," I said "Do you know where is the Well of Souls? And what it is, at that?"

Gaia narrowed her eyes, and took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I do. It's a day's flight north of here. A massive, gnarled mountain, with a hole on the top. It looks like a volcano, yet it isn't. The inner chambers inside it collapsed over fifty years ago, from what I know… don't tell me you're going there."

I was already moving over to Lytos, trying to understand why they'd been knocked out, and immediately it was clear: there was a pearl on the ground, with confusing waves of mana coming from it. I tried to **Observe** it, but as soon as the screen appeared it would fizzle out, leaving me to assume that the waves had some kind of anti-magic effect. The inventory worked, at least, so I managed to place it there. It could work probably because the Inventory was sustained by Yggdrasil, if the system's update notes were to be believed, and so the pearl had a too small influence to affect it.

"Hey! I asked you something."

I sighed. "Yes, I'll go. Pyra's in this mess because of me, and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her. I can get there in time, if I run at full speed."

I wasn't looking at her, but I could tell Gaia was gaping like a fish. "Just- just how fast _are_ you?"

I frowned. "In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure myself anymore. It's been a while since I last checked my full speed. But I know I can make it."

I got up, just as Lytos and Petrus did too. I turned over to my two golems. "Follow Gaia's orders, as long as they don't go against any of your main directives." I then prepared myself for a run, finally removing my cloak and allowing Gaia to see my Elemental form. "I'll get her back," I promised, and with a burst of speed, I was gone.

* * *

**-Afternoon, Day 22 (Saturday)-**

With nothing but my thoughts to keep me company, I entertained the thought of generating a few clones and letting them run through one of my dungeons. Maybe they'd even get enough Up for me to improve my Swordmaster style: if the apes had more of those pearls, it was best for me to get ready.

I stopped a bit, created a Grublin ID, made ten clones, and resumed my run.

* * *

**-Morning, Day 23 (Sunday)-**

My clones had done a good job indeed, raising my level from 153 to 176. That alone gave a huge boost to my speed, to the point where I could see the Well of Souls in the distance. It was a relatively quick run with my new, massive speed (**I did the math again, he's going at around a fifth the speed of sound. Yes, that's very fast.**).

I had taken a bit to recover my breath, and look over my new stats.

**Lv 176 (32.975/52.800)**

**Race: Demonic elemental (+1 DEX/AGI, +4 MAG every level)**

**GP: 48.482**

**Hp: 870 (+200) [1.070/1.070] (+87/min) [+174/min]**

**Mp: 20.200 [30.300/30.300] (+4.040/min)**

**STR: 118 [138]**

**VIT: 87 [107]**

**AGI: 142 [162]**

**DEX: 144 [164]**

**MAG: 417 [467]**

**LUK: 176**

**Stat Points: 682**

**Upgrade Points: 26**

I grimaced at my low VIT. If the apes could nullify my magic, I was in for a heavy fight. And that alone made me cave in. I used some my dearly-hoarded points to increase my STR and VIT, along with rounding up my other stats a bit.

I gained a perk for increasing my VIT over 100:

**The Wall**

**-Where others fall, you will stand. Unmoving, unending, eternal.**

**-Hp gains a *1.5 modifier**

**Lv 176 (32.975/52.800)**

**Race: Demonic elemental (+1 DEX/AGI, +4 MAG every level)**

**GP: 48.482**

**Hp: 2.000 [3.300/3.300] (+200/min) [+400/min]**

**Mp: 20.500 [30.750/30.750] (+4.100/min)**

**STR: 160 [180]**

**VIT: 140 [160]**

**AGI: 145 [165]**

**DEX: 145 [165]**

**MAG: 420 [470]**

**LUK: 176**

**Stat Points: 580**

**Upgrade Points: 26**

Admittedly, it did feel good to increase my Hp so massively. It was nothing compared to my Mp, but that had gained so many boosts that I couldn't really bring myself to care anymore.

With the Upgrade points I had, I tried to improve my Swordmaster style, which my clones had managed to correctly learn all the basic techniques from, and so I did, unlocking two new techniques on the list. I'll show you:

***Swordmaster style (Initiate)**

** Short swords deal x1.5 damage, heavy swords deal x2 damage**

** Prop Shredder (50 DMG, Novice)**

** Stinger (80 DMG, Novice)**

** Million Stab (locked) (10 DMG/hit, Initiate)**

** Sword Pierce (locked) (40 DMG, bleeding effect, Initiate)**

Yes, the techniques were the same ones from the games, what were you expecting?

I was capable of performing the Prop Shredder and the Stinger, but now I had to learn two more techniques. Clone time!

* * *

With my clones, I had a group create some stronger spells for the Fulgur and Aer branch, which I had upgraded further with my last Up, and also Vitium, which I hadn't touched in a while, and another group helped me master the Million Stab and the Sword pierce. The latter was relatively simple, I just had to throw the sword and then will it back when I was done.

By the time we finished, I felt ready to take on whatever came at us: I had a big arsenal of spells, good weapons and armor, and good stats.

I ran over to where I was supposed to meet the apes without my armor or weapons, though I had them ready to equip with a thought in my inventory. Good thing I'd stumbled upon that function a while ago.

I stopped a couple yards away from the mountain proper turned off my Elemental form, and observed my surroundings: except for a lot of black stone all over the place, I couldn't see anything out of the norm. That is, until I heard steps coming from behind me.

Turning around, I immediately spotted a small group of apes, along with some beings I'd never seen before. They were translucent, but wore a yellow cape that showed me their position easily. All I could see from under their cape was a pair of red eyes staring at me.

**Specter – Mid-ranked Spirit (Unaffected by physical damage, Various modifiers are applied, Hp and Mp are calculated after said modifiers)**

**Lv: 80**

**Hp: 660 [462/462]**

**Mp: 660 [792/792]**

**STR: 66 [59]**

**VIT: 66 [46]**

**AGI: 66 [46]**

**DEX: 66 [72]**

**MAG: 66 [79]**

**LUK: 67 [73]**

**Spirit of a being long-gone from this world. It has been convinced to join the apes, somehow. Normally found in many Netherworlds.**

The last sentence threw me in for a loop: those things came from the Netherworld? If so, that meant they could be one of the enemies I'd have to face in order to conquer Machrosias' throne… well, I could use some practice.

There were about five specters, while the apes numbered around a dozen.

I couldn't see Pyra anywhere, but that was expected. No way they'd be so stupid as to bring her here: even if they were perhaps feeling cocky, what with the specters at their side and whatnot, no sane kidnapper would leave the hostage out of their sight. That, of course, brought with it another can of worms entirely: if I couldn't just get Pyra, kill these guys, and leave, then I had to follow them.

"…_That may be for the best, all things considered. I can get a chance to see this Egul, hopefully kill him, and then save whoever they have trapped. Yeah, it works."_

I glared at the apes, daring them to make a move. It seemed they were cockier than I expected, as the leader stepped up in front of me. I did my best to not show any emotion, though it was hard as the bastard smelled downright awful, along with being bigger than me.

"So you do have some courage. Or maybe you're just stupid. I'm surprised that you're actually here alone, but here you are. Without any help." He pointed at me "Get him!"

To a normal person it would've seemed like just a second had passed, but for me it felt like an eternity until the apes were done tying up my arms behind me. The pains of being fast, I suppose.

Anyway, once my arms were tied up thanks to me offering little to no resistance, the apes started dragging me off. I pretended to be outraged, but let them overpower me whenever I tried to pull away.

"What is the meaning of this?! Where is Pyra?!" I yelled, hoping for an answer. I already had an idea of what was going on, but it was better to keep up the illusion.

The apes around me laughed for a while, before the leader decided to grace me with an explanation. "That little lizard? If you're lucky, you'll be able to meet her again. What, did you think that we'd give up that one just because you came along?" They all let out another round of laughter.

The specters, instead, were completely silent. I suppose that was expected of beings without a body.

The ape's leader continued after his laughter died down: "If you want to see the little shrimp alive, you will follow all of King Egul's orders. And when we'll have conquered everything, you might just get your freedom back!"

* * *

**-Morning, Day 24, Derkein-**

"Welcome to Derkein, capital of the ape kingdom, and future capital of the world! Enjoy your stay, shrimp!" The ape's leader said while 'patting' my back. Said pat would've sent me to the ground had I been a normal person. As I wasn't normal, I just pretended to grimace in pain and proceeded.

This Derkein place was… not that great, all things considered. Sure, the main roads seemed nice enough, but if you looked deeper you could see the state of poverty the whole city was in: only the main roads had any modicum of cleanliness to them, most buildings seemed on the verge of breaking, and just barely holding up. I noticed also that many citizens ducked quickly out of the way as soon as they saw us.

"_So: disrepair, poverty, fear of the military… or maybe it's the specters? Whichever. This place just needs a push in the right direction and riots will break out. First, I'll get Pyra back, then I'll deal with Egul, and finally I'll see about getting a new king."_

With my plan firmly in my mind, I let the apes drag me around, straight to the castle. This was pretty run-down as well, although much less than the rest of the city. On its perimeter there was a bunch of apes, nothing much to note about that, except for the high numbers. Egul liked his protection, huh?

On the inside, though, it was something else entirely. While we had the usual apes standing guard, there were also a bunch of penguin-like beings running around, cleaning, fixing, getting slapped around… I felt a bit sorry for them. I ran an **Observe** both at the blue, more numerous ones, and another at the few orange ones who seemed to be directing the blue ones.

**Private Prinny – Low-ranking Prinny (Explodes when thrown, Various modifiers are applied, Hp and Mp are calculated after said modifiers)**

**Lv: 10**

**Hp: 80 [80/80]**

**Mp: 80 [80/80]**

**STR: 9 [9]**

**VIT: 8 [6]**

**AGI: 9 [8]**

**DEX: 8 [8]**

**MAG: 8 [6]**

**LUK: 8 [7]**

**Technically, they aren't demons, but rather souls of the sinners. Once they atone for their sins, they obtain the right to be reincarnated with the dawn of the Red Moon. They explode when thrown so be careful how you handle them. On a side note, it is unknown why they explode in the first place.**

**Captain Prinny – Low-ranking Prinny (Explodes when thrown, Various modifiers are applied, Hp and Mp are calculated after said modifiers)**

**Lv: 20**

**Hp: 160 [160/160]**

**Mp: 160 [160/160]**

**STR: 18 [18]**

**VIT: 16 [12]**

**AGI: 17 [15]**

**DEX: 17 [17]**

**MAG: 16 [12]**

**LUK: 16 [14]**

**Technically, they aren't demons, but rather souls of the sinners. Once they atone for their sins, they obtain the right to be reincarnated with the dawn of the Red Moon. They explode when thrown so be careful how you handle them. On a side note, it is unknown why they explode in the first place. This Prinny proved itself in combat enough to reincarnate into a Captain.**

"_Prinnies, huh? Interesting…_" I wondered whether or not I should've been worried: most demons seemed relatively weak. Then again, the prinnies were servants until further notice, and the Specters were actually quite strong in comparison to the average dragon. Plus, those were only low and mid-ranked demons! Who knew what I'd go against when dealing with high-ranking demons… I needed to get stronger. But first, Pyra.

While I was stuck in my musings, the apes had brought me into the throne room, and I finally laid eyes upon the cause of my recent issues: Egul.

He was… smaller than the average ape, but not by much. He definitely had a powerful build, sure, but not to the same level of other apes I'd seen. Differently from all the other apes in the room, he wasn't smiling. He wasn't grinning either: he just kept a cold mask of indifference.

I tried using **Observe** also on him, but as soon as the screen started to form, it flickered out. It seemed like Egul kept some of those pears on him at all times… a good strategy, admittedly. It forced me to get close to him in order to attack, and with all the guards around no one would have any chance to get close… but I wasn't just anyone. And I needed him alive for the moment, as he knew where Pyra was.

I felt hands pushing me down, and I didn't fight it, dropping down to kneel in front of the king.

"Do you know why I have requested your presence?" He begun, his voice as cold as his eyes.

"No, your highness," I said. I needed to make him think he had the upper hand, so that I could convince him to show me where Pyra was.

"You are here—d" he began slowly, as he got up from the throne "—because several dozens of my troops died at your creation's hands. Because you decided to help the dragons with your skills. Because I want to offer you a deal." He started to come closer, but still out of range. "I am intrigued in your skills, so I brought you here to request you put such skills to use under my employment. I shall provide you with the materials for your golems, along with whatever else you may need to survive. In exchange, you will build golems for me. If you agree, your little dragon will be unharmed. If you fail to comply…" His cold face turned into an insane smile "You don't want another cripple in that little family of yours, do you?"

My eyes widened for a moment, knowing exactly what he was talking about, and putting two and two together. Did Gaia lose her wings because of the apes? Bastards, the lot of them.

"So? What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, pretending to think about it. I then spoke quietly and slowly, as if I were scared to incur in their wrath. "Before I agree… can I see her? I want to- to make sure she's safe. Please, I just want to see her."

Egul mulled it over for a bit, pacing in front of me a few times. He then stopped right in front of me.

"Oh, why not? But you only have a few minutes. If you're a good boy, I'll let you see her again." He then snapped his fingers, and the guards hoisted me up again. "Come on, let's get this over with."

The guards guided me through a massive amount of twists, turns, and stairs, reaching the dungeons.

Egul snapped his fingers again, and one of the guards stationed in the dungeon opened the cell in front of us. Inside, I saw a small red mass curled up on itself. The guards behind me pushed me inside, and closed the cell again. I hobbled over to Pyra, and started nudging her with my chest.

"Pyra? Pyra, please tell me you're ok!"

The small ball of red untangled, and a red head popped out, making eye contact with me. It took her no time to jump onto me, and start bawling her eyes out.

I took the chance to whisper to Pyra. "Pyra, I'll get you out of here. I promise. But you need to be ready. As soon as they open the door again, I'll deal with the apes. You need to stay here until I come get you, ok?"

I thought for a moment that she hadn't heard, but I felt her nod.

I kept pretending to comfort her, until we heard the door open again and I was pulled up.

As soon as I was out of the door I pushed back the ape who grabbed me, tore the ropes apart, and summoned my Daedric Longsword. In one fell swoop, I decapitated two of the apes behind me, and started zipping around to kill all the others.

None had the time to leave, or even say anything. I was too fast for them. I tore off Egul's head, and shoved it into my inventory. I went to Pyra, and picked her up with one arm. The other was still holding my longsword for safety.

I was about to rush out of the dungeon, when Pyra got my attention.

"We can't leave here like this! We need to save Sora!"

I blinked. "Sora? Who's that?"

"Another prisoner! He's in the cell next to mine, we need to save him!"

I sighed, reasoning that I could have a clone drag him along if I needed.

A small application of Ignis magic was enough to melt the lock. I peered inside, and felt my stomach churn.

The young dragon inside the cell had ash-grey scales, which seemed to be flaking off. He turned over to us, and I realized that he couldn't have been older than sixteen or so. Still too big for me to carry without trouble, though.

**Sora Sukai – Aimless (Fate's strings have lost meaning to you: there is no home for you)**

**Lv: 23**

**Hp: 146/200**

**Mp: 0/210**

**STR: 23 [11]**

**VIT: 20 [10]**

**AGI: 17 [8]**

**DEX: 18 [9]**

**MAG: 21 [0]  
**

**LUK: 16**

**Status: Severe Mana Drain**

**Sora doesn't know what he did to deserve this lot in life: weak, confused, alone, and to the mercy of the Apes. He can feel his life slipping by, slowly but surely. He knows he has no chance to survive. The only ray of hope in his caged life was befriending Pyra.**

**Severe Mana Drain: Your magic core has been drained of mana to the point where it is now incapable of producing it on its own. Physical stats are halved; MAG is reduced to 0; Hp will keep ticking down so long as there is no Mp. To remove this status ailment, you need to be supplied a dose of mana to kick-start your core again.**

Reading the description for the Mana Drain, I winced. Trying to supply mana to Pyra was the whole reason why she ended up in that place. But if it was the only way to save this Sora guy…

I kneeled down at Sora's side, while Pyra was talking to him. I kept my eye on Sora's status screen while I gave his body some mana, and as soon as I reached half of his maximum Mp, I stopped. The ailment turned into Drained Core, which wasn't nearly as bad. It just said that his Mp wouldn't regenerate on its own for a while. Since I was already there, I gave Sora a heal, to get him back into shape.

Sora, looking amazed, tried getting up. With some support from Pyra, he actually managed. He was looking much better than before, his scales taking a very light blue tint.

I made two clones, surprising the dragons, and had the clones pick them up.

"Answers later. We've wasted enough time here." With that, me and my clones sped off, getting quickly out of the castle.

The guards, panicking as they were, didn't notice that we'd escaped until after we passed. And by the time they rang the alarm, we were very far away already. After ten or so minutes, we stopped so that Pyra and Sora could get their bearings.

I poofed my clones away, and motioned for the two dragons to sit down. Sora complied easily, as his body was still feeling weak.

I was about to start speaking, when a black magical circle appeared underneath us. I barely had the time to register it, that it flashed.

* * *

I opened my eyes, and I was met by a known face.

"Loki? What do you want this time?"

* * *

**And IT IS OVER ladies and gents! This part of the Spyro ark is closed!**

"**But Xeno, what about Gaia? And Lytos? And didn't Daniel have to find also a king for the apes?"**

**Yes, but that will happen in the second part of the Spyro ark. As it is right now, I have gotten bored of Spyro. Pure and simple. I needed a change of scenery. So, that will be put on hold a bit.**

**Bitch at me if you want, see if I care. The true fans will stick with me, and those people are the ones that count.**

**So, you'll most probably ask now: "And what is going to happen now that you're taking a break from Spyro?"**

**Simple! First, will be a fight that many of you are anticipating, but won't spoil just to be fair. Then, we'll move on to the next world. What is that? Well, one (or maybe more of you now) guessed it already: Disgaea! Land of demons, meta jokes, and Overlords that look like kids!**

**Laharl: "You take that back!"**

**Yeesh, ok fine. Touchy little bugger.**

**Laharl: "Who did you just call LITTLE?!"**

**Crap! Daniel, deal with the reviews yourself, pleas—AAAAAAAHHHHHH**

**L: "Get back here!"**

**Daniel: "Ok, while they do their thing, I'll be answering the reviews. **

"**Deus, I appreciate your words, and will keep them in mind. Although… it took me a moment to understand what you wrote. Please, work on your spelling a bit. Just a bit of friendly advice.**

"**Zackman2k12, your reviews are appreciated from us too, and of course we'd respect your preferences: you're literally the only person that said them!**

"**Artekha, the boss already told you what was going on with that skill. He should've made it more clear by now, anyway.**

"**And finally, Spyro fanboy. Thanks a lot, although we're the only ones writing this story, soo… not much competition going on here."**

**Ok, I should be fine now. Damn, the little gremlin is persistent.**

**ANYWAY! We finally got Sora, and I suppose that some of you may be a bit miffed to see him turned into a dragon, but in reality… does it change anything? I don't think so. So there we have it, everyone! The end of the first Spyro ark! Tune in next time for a battle of the ages, and the beginning to the Disgaea ark!**

* * *

**Random note: I wrote around 5000 words of this chapter in one day. I'm publishing this literally after sitting in front of the screen for the whole day writing. Ahhhh, the joys of vacation.**


	11. 2-1 Gods and Demons

**-Mid-morning, Day 24 (Monday)-**

"Loki? What do you want this time?"

The god in front of me leaned back on their chair, and quirked an eyebrow, looking alternatively between by left and right. Curiosity got the best of me, and I turned to see what seemed to be the issue.

"_What's so surprising? Yeah, Pyra and Sora are here—WHAT?"_ I whipped my head around again, and in fact the two dragons were sitting at my sides, looking between me and Loki.

I quickly turned back to Loki. "Why are they here?" I hissed.

Loki blinked, remembering that I was there as well. "Well, I hadn't seen this one coming. I expected you to be alone, as I didn't have much time to keep an eye on you lately. Care to fill me in?"

Pyra and Sora now seemed even more confused, but I paid it no mind for the moment, and proceeded to explain to Loki all that had happened in the last week: from leaving Canaan with Gaia and Pyra to the group of apes in the cheetah village (whose name I never learned), continuing with our travel with the wagon and Pyra's kidnapping. Once I was done detailing our escape, Loki was staring at me, visibly impressed.

"And all of that was in a bit over a week? I have to say, I didn't expect you to grow so strong in such a short amount of time. On a purely mathematical level, you could go toe to toe with beings way over your level and survive! And we're talking about some decently powerful beings, to boot."

I allowed myself a smirk, because let's admit it: it wasn't every day that a god was impressed in your power.

The Loki's face grew into a malefic grin. "And that's good, because I need your power now."

"What… are you talking about?" I asked carefully. That didn't sound good in the slightest.

"It's simple, kid: I'm done doing you favors. It's time that you start paying me back, and as of now you owe me… a big favor and a smaller one. I'm willing to have you pay off both of those with one task. Interested?"

I grimaced internally. There was no way that this would go well: all those comments about how strong I was, needing my power, paying off my debts? Yeah, I was starting to think that I should have grinded more. My shoulders sagged as I spoke again. "What am I supposed to do?"

Loki's grin shrunk to a more reasonable size. "Glad to see you can be reasonable. Now, are you aware of what Nidhoggr is?" At my nod, they continued. "Good. Now, as you should know, he is trapped underneath the roots of Yggdrasil, defeated. For the past several millennia, he has been gnawing at the roots, doing all it can to escape and continue in its path of destruction. This needs to stop. As such, me and a few other gods will be performing a ritual to permanently end him… we should have done so earlier, but we needed to recover from the battle, and by the time we'd regained our full strength we forgot about him."

I couldn't believe it. _"A dragon strong enough to wound gods, strong enough that they had to lock him away instead of killing him, and what do they do? They FORGET?!"_

Loki didn't seem to notice my thoughts, and calmly continued with their exposition. "Now, he's recovered a lot of power sure, but you should be strong enough to stall him for a while. Lucky for you, his ability to absorb damage hasn't yet recovered enough to be used, but he _will_ take progressively less damage the more you keep doing the same thing, so I suggest varying your arsenal. Understood?"

I nodded, feeling my anger starting to boil. I chose to keep it bottled up and to release it on my target instead.

**Favor for a favor**

**Objective:**

**-Keep Nidhoggr busy for as long as needed (+750.000 Xp, 180.000 Gp, ?)**

**Bonus objectives:**

**-? (+1.500.000 Xp, 750.000 Gp)**

**-? (+1.000.000 Xp, 500.000 Gp)**

The hidden extra objectives piqued my interest, but I remembered that I wasn't alone.

"Loki," I got their attention "What about them?" I asked, and I motioned towards the two young dragons behind next to me.

Loki shrugged. "What _about_ them? They are none of my concern. You can keep them for all I care. They can wait for you here; we should not take too long."

I turned to look at the two young dragons. "Will you two be ok here for a while? I'll be back for you as soon as I am done with this job, I promise."

Both the drakes looked at each other, unsure. It was Pyra who broke the silence first. "Well, I don't know what's going on… but I trust you somewhat. I'll wait. But I do want an explanation of what's going on when you're back… as if there's anywhere for us to go."

I had to admit that she was right on the last part: I wasn't ever aware that we had an actual floor here until now.

Sora took longer to decide. "I don't know anything about you… not even your name. But Pyra trusts you, and you saved us. That's enough for me. I'll be here."

I nodded to both of them. "Thank you, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

"Are you about done? Let's get this over with," Piped up Loki from behind me. I felt a hand grasp my shoulder, and everything vanished.

* * *

**-The roots of Yggdrasil-**

When I could see again, I was left speechless by the impressive (and terrifying) sight: massive lengths of wood stretching up into the sky beyond what I could see, several meters thick and impossibly long, stood in front of me. I felt tiny, insignificant even, to such a majestic sight. But for all that looked great, there was something bad that came with it: beyond the thick roots, I could see something moving. I could barely get glimpses of it, but what I could tell was that it was gigantic, green and black, and—

"_**Ǵ̛͠R̵̛͡Ǫ̶̸̀͘Ą̷̷͠Ą̵͘͜͜A̢͘͠͏͢A̸̧͘̕Á̷̡A̵̧͜͢À̛͝Ą͡A̡͏̷͞A̴҉͏̵̨A҉̀͡A͞҉̸͟͢A͟͟͢͞͞A̛҉̵Ą̵͡A̷̴̕͢͡A̛͢͞"**_

—it was very angry.

I was about to turn tail and run, when I felt an impact on my back, making me stumble forward.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in there! We'll begin casting as soon as you get started."

I bit back a sarcastic remark, and equipped all that I needed: Praetor armor, Daedric longsword, and… that was it, really. I needed more weapons. Before going in, I realized what day it was. I could use my DICE perk again! Hopefully I'd get something good this time too…

"_You know what, screw it. I've done it once; I'll do it again."_ I pulled up my status sheet, and pumped up my LUK to 200. Hopefully it would help. It did, surprisingly.

**Perk: [DICE] will be upgraded. Please choose an upgrade:**

**-Quality (+1 dice every roll)**

**-Quantity (Choose another day of the week: you can roll also on that day)**

Considering that I needed to make sure I would survive to see another day of the week, I decided to go for quality. Summoning the two small dice in my hand, I prayed that it would work.

A one… and a five!

**Reward 1: Nothing**

**Reward 2: New item. Roll for rarity.**

I threw down a new dice, hoping to get something useful… a three.

**Gained: Glock 21 – Uncommon**

**Glock 21 – Uncommon**

**-A polymer-constructed gun designed for an American market. It uses .45 ACP rounds.**

**-13/13 rounds**

**-DMG: 10(+5)**

"_I… have no idea on how to use a gun… I'm fucked."_

And with that last thought out of the way, I put the gun away and headed in the thick of the roots, using my comparatively minuscule size to weave between the roots, getting closer to the monster inside.

I looked like an ant compared to the behemoth in front of me. Its scales were mainly black, with some dark green splotches on its back and neck. It had only two limbs, surprisingly enough, but they looked extremely powerful, along with the rest of the body. Titanic muscles stretched and contracted, as the reptilian beast turned its neck to me. One of its eyes alone was bigger than my entire body!

…though, it was half-blind. I could see a scar over the left eye, the flesh and scales around it charred beyond recognition. And the more I looked, the more scars I could see. Yet, that only meant that Nidhoggr was powerful enough to survive many battles.

I didn't expect much, but I still tried to **Observe** the beast in front of me.

When the screen didn't appear, I started fearing the worst. When Nidhoggr's eye ridge rose by a small amount, I realized it had noticed what I tried to do. After a few seconds, Nidhoggr's eye glazed over a tad, as if it were staring into nothingness. And that is when I began to feel its aura. It was… terrifying, would be the best way to put it. Not as powerful as Thanatos, but it was definitely up there.

And then it just stopped, and the screen appeared. It all seemed fine… until I saw just was written on the screen.

**An impressive spell, to be certain. Yet, what is it that brings thee here, I wonder?**

**I am called Nidhoggr, as thou may be aware. Many call me the Serpent of Ragnarok.**

**Mine health is not at its peak,**

**nor is mine magic.**

**Yet, I am powerful enough to be rid of thee, if thou angers me.**

**Mine power as a whole is leagues beyond thee, as such thou dost not need to know it in detail.**

**Now, prithee thou might enlighten me as to what ails a mortal to wander these accursed roots that have become mine cage for so long now.**

"_Crap! It did notice, and can do what Thanatos did to my spell! ...I'm very fucked."_

I stood quietly, uncertain as to what I should do. After all, Nidhoggr seemed reasonable enough to talk for now, and while I'd come in here expecting a fight, I really didn't want to do it.

"_Then again, the quest just said I should stall Nidhoggr, not to fight."_

While I was thinking, Nidhoggr lowered its head closer to me, seemingly intrigued by me.

"**A̕rt ̕t̶h͢o̴ư p̨e̸rhaps͝ ͘i͏n̛capąbl̡e****҉**** ̨o͜f śp̴ee͜cḩ?̸ ͏A ̕la͜m͟e͠nt̀ab͘le ͡l̷os̛s, ̕it h̨a̶s ̕be̡én ma****҉****ny e̷ons ͟sinc̕è Ì ̀h͢ad ą ͞c͝hanc̸e to͠ dis͡çu̧s̛s wi͞t̛h̷ any ͞be̛in̶g̸.̸"** Nidhoggr asked. Surprisingly, the voice was much less loud than expected. It seemed that it realized it had to speak lower to not make me fly away.

It seemed like it was about time to talk. Hopefully it wouldn't feel like I was more useful as a snack. "I- I can talk; I just- I was so amazed that I had no words!"

Nidhoggr's eye ridge rose once again but it seemed pleased by my words. **"It was ̷ab͞o****҉****u̢t͟ ͢t͜i̶me ̴f͘o͘r ͞mor͟t̨ąls̶ ͜tò unde͘r͝st̢and m̵ỳ ma̧g͘n̷i͝f͡i̸c̶énc̨e, ẁh̸e****҉****lp. ̶And͢ ͠pra͏y te͢ll̶, ̨wh͞at so̧r****҉**** ̡of̵ bei͟n͜g art ͠th̀ou?̕ ́Thín͘e****҉**** ͝smel͜l i̸s̷.̕.͢.̢ c̨ofusing, to͜ ͟sa̸y ̧t͟he͟ ̸le̕as̡t̨.͝"**

I blinked. It had been a while since I sat down and thought about myself in such a way. I wasn't an introspective person by any means, but the changing race kept preventing me from fully settling into one body before getting another. Would I get one more at some point? I assumed I was something like a middle-ranked demon, so it was feasible for me to have another transformation… Damn, I felt like a Pokemon. Hey, maybe I could get one.

The ground's shaking reminded me that I wasn't alone.

"I… that's a hard question. I was a normal human, or Midgardian, I suppose you'd call them. Then, I became a demon. Now I've… grown? I'm an elemental of sorts. A dark one, but still. I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with it all… I prefer not to think about it."

Nidhoggr came closer, taking another whiff at me. **"**

**I̴ ҉am not͘ a͠wa͡r͟e ͝of͝ ̛whát ̨a̸ ͟d͝emon is, a҉s͠ ̧I͘ do̷ n͠ot̷ ͜be̴l̷i̵e̕vè ̸I̷ ͢e̵ve̴r ҉met ̧one͟.͡ ̴W͡ha͟t I c͢an͏ t͞e̷ĺl͜ ̶a̛bóu͟t ̵t́hee is th҉a͜t҉ t͡ho̴u ͝s̵mel͏l̛ś o͝f fl͏am͘e̡s, of̕ ̨blo̴ơd, ҉ơf̷ dr͢a̸k͢e,͘ ̕a̷nd...̨ A͜ES͝I̴R?!" **Nidhoggr reared up, looking disgusted. _"_**Th̸o҉u̡ ̀hast be͞e̡n̵ ͜i͏n ̡t͞heir p̸r҉ȩsen͟c͟e,͞ I c̵an͏ tel̛l!͠ ̢What ́did ͢t͘h̴ǫse a̢c̴cu͞r̨s̸ed̴ ̵'̕g̵od̵s' ͏s̕e͝n͡d͜ thee her̴e͢ ̶fo͟r?"** It roared.

I ducked down, to avoid the blast of wind coming from the booming voice. It seemed that Nidhoggr's rage had almost reached the point of no return. I could either answer the question, or fight. Either option would result in me getting destroyed, so I chose to buy more time.

"They sent me here to fight you! They thought that I could defeat you while you were weakened!"

Nidhoggr bared its fangs, absolutely livid. Yet, it seemed like the feeling wasn't directed at me. **"**

**T͟H̡OS͠E̡ WOR҉M̧S͡!͡ ͟Sen͢d͏in̢g͜ a c͡o̸n͝f͘u̕s͞ȩd̴ c͏h͘i͠l͠d̕ at́ ̛me, wh̀e͜re͘ i̴s̵ ͡t̨h͠eir h͟on͢or?̨! ͠H̡ave ̧t̀h͠ey t̕r͜ųl̸y̨ ąb͏an͘dońed ͜w̕ha̢t͡ ̶m͢ákes͝ ̀th̕e͡m Aes̀ir̨ in̵ t́he fi̶r̷st ̢p͜la̷cé?͠!" **Nidhoggr turned to me, its eye burning in righteous fury. **"If͢ tho̧u ͡d͝os͠t̵ not ̀wísh t̕o͠ ̢p͠e͡r̴i̸sh̸, ţḩe̵n ̧r̕émo͏v҉e͡ t̶hyself̨ ̴f͞rom ͝m͟i͢n͢é ̶si͜ght t̀h҉ìs ̶i̡n͠st̴a͜n̷t̕.͡ I҉ ̧am ̶wil̶li͜n͜g͞ ̧t́o a͜l̡l̴o͠w̴ t̷h̴ee ͏a ch̛an̨c͘e t̕ò ͟es͜c̡a͢pe.̴"**

As much as I wanted to do it, I had no choice. I still had to waste time, and words wouldn't help anymore. It was time to fight.

I started things off with an **Agidyne** straight to Nidhoggr's remaining eye in an attempt to blind him. I hit, but not the intended spot: Nidhoggr's movement at the last moment sent the fireball careening into the side of his neck… dealing almost 2000 damage. I hadn't actually noticed, but I might just have a chance!

To boost my chances, I activated my Blackfire body, and while Nidhogg recovered from the burns, I tried to hack at its feet, trying to cut some ligaments. No luck for me, as Nidhogg lifted its foot and tried to stomp on me. With a quick application of **Power burst **and **Overdrive** I dived out of the way hastily.

Nidhoggr's eye narrowed, and it breathed a cloud of cold. I had to counteract with my **Blazing dome** to keep myself from freezing, and I still felt the cold. I cast **Armor of Agathys** and I felt fine again. The extra protection helped. I was also glad that it wasn't element-based, but pure Ordo, differently from the D&D version.

When I felt the strain on my spell start to lower, I cast **Mazionga**, and created multiple bolts to hit from different directions at once. I was glad for my clone jutsu, otherwise I wouldn't have learned that I could do it. I was able to direct mentally only up to three bolts, but I could make do. It was still a strong technique, dealing almost 4000 damage.

Nidhoggr roared at me in pain, shrugging off the attack easily enough, and spikes of ice started to come out of the ground, following me. I weaved around the spikes, but one hit me from behind. It pierced cleanly through my chest

**Resist Ice! Critical Hit! -2.625 Hp**

A glance at my Hp told me that I barely survived: I only had 675 Hp left!

I used my **Ignocorpus** to melt the ice, and cast **Diarama**.

**+1.762** **Hp**

With my health back in the mid-2000, I got back up and stared straight at Nidhoggr. Its eye was wide, amazed that I'd survived such a hit. In all honesty, so was I. But I was also ready for vengeance. I channeled as much magic as I could in my sword with **Ignotelum**, activated **Power burst **and **Overdrive**, and used for the first time the perk I gained from reaching 100 DEX: Critical strike. My next hit would be a guaranteed crit, but I could only do it once a day. With all the power I had, I threw myself into a Stinger attack.

My speed, enhanced from my other skills and by the technique itself, got me right in front of Nidhoggr, and I stabbed my sword straight in its chest.

The hit was strong enough to lift Nidhoggr slightly, and make it stumble back. But I wasn't done. I used another technique, Million Stab, to get my 'point' across. In the blink of an eye, I had pulled my sword out of Nidhoggr's chest, and stabbed it again. And again. Before I could do so once more, a blast of raw mana emanated from Nidhoggr, throwing me away. I quickly got up, and observed my enemy silently.

The serpent was breathing heavily, with several scorch marks over its body and three deep holes in its chest. Its eyes narrowed, and I saw the holes on its chest start shrinking. It was healing itself!

I cast **Mudoon** to disrupt it healing, or at least slow it. It did barely any damage before being eradicated.

Truly panicking now, I cast all I had in my arsenal, as the mana field wouldn't allow me to come close. It was all useless: only my strongest spells could reach, and even those did very little. I did have one last idea, though. I made a bunch of clones, and we all poured all the mana we could into a combined **Agidyne**. The result was a ball of white flames as big as my body, and we all threw it at Nidhoggr.

The last thing I saw was the serpent's eye widening to a hilarious size before it ended up engulfed in flames.

That last hit had taken a lot out of me, as even though I had a lot of mana, I had to use a bunch of boosts in a very short amount of time during that fight. I had to sit down, and hope that I wouldn't see the dragon again.

Well, I did see the dragon, but it was heavily burned and bleeding. With what strength it had left, it looked over to me.

"**I͝ misj̵u̴dg͘ed́ ͞th̵ee.͡.͠. ̀t͡hou͢ a̸rt ̵à ̨t̕ru̧e̕ ̢wa̶rrior.̢.̕.̧ ̵I̸ bi҉d̛ ͞t͟h̢ee l̵ućk, o ͜m̀i͡ghty ̡dem̕on." **It said, wheezing in pain.

I didn't answer. I had no reason to, in the end.

Just as I was about to get up, a massive pillar of light burst from under Nidhoggr, making it scream in agony. In about ten seconds, it was already over. The pillar became thinner, until it disappeared. In its place was a small, pulsating light. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again Loki was there, examining the sphere.

I walked over, curiosity rising.

"So, what's that? And where'd Nidhogg go?"

Loki gave me a sideways glance, and returned to observing the orb while speaking. "I do suspect that this is all that remains of Nidhoggr's power." He snorted, and tossed it over to me. "You can keep it; I suppose this job was worth a bit more than a favor anyway. I have no use for this, at any rate."

I didn't have a chance to speak, when the orb immediately flew into my chest. I felt extremely hot for a moment, before the pain began. Waves of agony shot through me, changing me. My skin thickened in certain points, and I outright grew scales in others. My armor felt tighter and tighter, and I removed it in fear of suffocating. Reddish-black wings spread out, two meters long each. My eyes changed, from yellow and black sclera, to full yellow with slit red pupils.

I wasn't aware of any of that, though. All I could do was lay on the ground, and wait for it to pass.

After what felt like ages, but was probably a few minutes, the pain left, leaving a dull ache in my body. I tried to sit up, and make sure that I was still in one piece, when a bunch of messages flew into my vision.

**Quest complete – Favor for a favor**

**Objective:**

**-Keep Nidhoggr busy for as long as needed [OK] (+750.000 Xp, 180.000 Gp, Draconic essence)**

**Bonus objectives:**

**-Complete the quest peacefully [X] (+1.500.000 Xp, 750.000 Gp)**

**-Defeat Nidhoggr without help [OK] (+1.000.000 Xp, 500.000 Gp)**

**You gained +2.250.000 Xp, +930.000 Gp! Daniel leveled up! (176 – 211) You gained 175 Stat points and 35 Upgrade points!**

**Your race has changed! [Demonic elemental] - [Demonic drake]**

The last window got me to take a look at my body, and in fact I was now part-dragon! …Great, the suit wasn't going to fit me anymore. I would be able to use it only when I was in human form. But at least I'd be able to fly… in theory.

I gave a look to the perk, **Darkfire Drake body**, to see what I could get from it.

**Darkfire Drake body: toggle ON**

**-The blood of ancient dragons flows within you.**

**-When on, all stats gain a *1.5 multiplier**

**-When on, gain 75 physical and magical protection**

**-When on, Hp regeneration doubles**

**-When on, you are immune to fire and resistant to slash and piercing damage**

**-When on, your flames cannot be extinguished unless by using heavy amounts of magic**

**-You are permanently resistant to fire**

My eyes flew open at the absurd amount of bonuses: it more than made up for my inability to use armor with it! And let's be honest, the wings were just cool. For the moment, though, I chose to turn it off.

Loki was still there, looking at me like a scientist looked at an experiment.

"That was not expected, but from your expression it is nothing negative. Well, you will blend in with your two little friends. We are wasting time dallying here. Let us be off."

I had no time to answer, as we teleported again.

* * *

I was getting annoyed.

I opened my eyes once again, finding myself seated once more at the usual table. Pyra and Sora were next to me, as I was expecting. The two were staring at me, Pyra looking relieved. Sora, on the other hand, seemed bored.

"Well, I'm back. Did I make you two wait for long?"

Sora shook his head. "No, about ten minutes I think. Now that you're done, can we get those answers?"

I nodded, but before I could utter a word, Loki cut me off. "Actually, we need to discuss something else. You see, we need to accelerate times a bit. I'll be brief: the Overlord who took over for Machrosias died about a week ago, and he didn't have any children. Thus, the whole Netherworld is in shambles trying to become Overlord. This is your chance to get rid of the opposition and take your place, so I need to send you there immediately."

While that was a surprising bit of knowledge, it wasn't what I had on my mind at the moment. "That's all well and good, but I have some other concerns right now: main one being if you can send these two home. I'm not going to bring them in what amounts to a warzone. They'll die."

Loki gained a grin once more. "Oh, really now? Well, let's see… Blue over here can't return, since he's not bound by fate. His own world rejects him now. And for little red… Do you really want to send her back? There's a good chance she'll get caught again and die without you there. Although… I can help if you accept to owe me one again~"

I grit my teeth at Loki's words. They weren't wrong per se, but I didn't enjoy the idea of owing Loki again. What would they want this time? I had no idea, but it was either that or nothing. After all, I didn't really have an alternative that I could see.

"What help are you offering exactly?" I asked, testing the waters. When dealing with such a person, it was best to err on the side of caution.

"Why, I am offering little red something similar to what I offered you. I can alter her magical core in such a way that she can use Yggdrasil through you. Think of it like what you did for your golems. That should get her plenty of power, right?"

I nodded slowly, but remembered that it wasn't me we were talking about. "Are you two ok with this thing? And coming with me, of course."

Sora's face darkened for a moment. "He is not wrong. I have nothing to get back to. You helped me, and Pyra kept me sane. Where you two go, I'll follow."

Pyra instead stared at me defiantly. "Of course I'm coming! I don't really know what you two are talking about, of overlords, this Yggdrasil thing, and giving me power, but if it helps me get strong like you, then I'm fine with it. I want to follow you, you promised you'd let me come along!"

"I… I hadn't said anything about interdimensional travel… but fine. If that's how you feel, then I'll take you both with me." I turned to Loki. "Fine, do it. But you need to do the same for Sora too."

Loki made a dismissive motion at my words. "There is no need for that. He has adapted enough, as his core created mana very similar to yours from the moment you restarted it. Now, it is time for you to leave."

And with those words, Loki waved his hand slightly. With another flash, we were gone.

Loki huffed, and leaned back in their chair. "What a bunch of work. At least, we are getting closer to the end of all of this mess. After this, I need a vacation. But now—" they said as they got up "—is the time to celebrate!"

* * *

**-Mid-morning, day 24(Monday), Netherworld-**

After the flash faded, we all found ourselves… not in a forest, thank goodness. I'd had quite enough of trees for a while. We were in a gigantic wheat field. Golden plants rising up from the ground for hundreds of meters, if not several kilometers. With no better time to do so than now, I sat down Sora and Pyra, and begun telling them my tale.

They were both very surprised to hear all that I'd gone through, and I had to demonstrate several of my abilities, including my new Drake form, and my Mana Synchronization. They laughed at the funny parts, and cringed at my failures. They were surprisingly very good listeners, but after an hour and a half or so of talking, I did the one thing I was supposed to do anytime I entered a new world: call home.

"Hello, mum?"

"Daniel, dear, do you have any idea how long we've waited for you to call again?"

"Er… a few days?"

"Three. Weeks. We thought you died again!"

I cringed, and I could see Pyra and Sora laughing at my misfortune.

"Look mum, I was busy—"

"Yeah," Pyra butted in "—real busy driving a cart for the past few days! You were literally doing nothing else! …Except for that one time where you hid away to make weird magical experiments."

"Daniel, who's that? Please don't tell me you had a child without telling me."

"Wha- I- I did not! Pyra decided to tag along for the trip... and so did Sora."

"Oh, I remember Pyra! You mean the little dragon that reminded you of your sister, yeah? And who's this Sora? Never heard of him or her before."

I looked over to Sora, silently asking him if I should tell my mom. He though a bout hit for a moment, and then shook his head vehemently.

"Yeah… it's not my story to tell. He's a friend, though. He decided to join us, and that's really all that matters."

Mom said nothing for a while, before answering. "Whatever you say. Now, what have you been up to these past few weeks?"

In the end, I gave my mom an edited and abridged version of what happened to me, avoiding to mention the few times where I almost died… like the fight with Nidhoggr. And the DOOM dungeon. I should check it again; I did have the power.

After saying our goodbyes, me and my followers were left with finding something to do, or somewhere to go. While I did still have food in my inventory, I didn't want Pyra and Sora to sleep in the open. They were semi-gamers now, sure, but still. Fortunately, I had the place for both of them now, and I could keep Lytos in my party, so I could see if he ever ended up in trouble… for all the good it did. At least he'd get some extra stat bonuses.

That aside, I spotted in the distance some smoke. Civilization, or a field on fire. If it was the latter, I may as well take care of it: it was one direction like any other to go towards.

While on the way there, I kept my eyes open: you never knew what sort of demons you could find on your way… especially in the Netherworld.

Confusingly, we didn't meet anyone until we reached the source of the smoke: a half-destroyed city. Some buildings were no more than smoldering wreckage, while others seemed to be still relatively intact. A few castings of **Malaqua** just for added safety put out the fires and cleared our way. As we got closer to what we assumed to be the center of the town, we could hear loud laughter coming from deeper in.

We turned a corner of a collapsed building, and an awful stench assaulted my nostrils. From their reactions, I could say with certainty that also my dragon friends had felt it. Doing our best we soldiered on, and I took note of what was happening. First, the laughter was coming from a very burly man who was standing over another man; the other one seemed much younger, barely in his twenties from what I could tell. Second, the older man seemed to have an entourage.

I looked around once again, just to be safe. And in fact, the edges of the plaza were crowded by a bunch of girls in… very skimpy outfits… and wings… and horns…

Succubi, really?

They were all relatively weak, hovering around the 30-40s level range, so I didn't pay much attention to them. Instead, I concentrated on the burly man dressed like a wrestler, who had finished laughing and had turned to the small crowd of succubi.

"I dedicate this victory to all of you, ladies!" He yelled, and started flexing his arms a bit.

The succubi cheered, though I noticed a few in the back rows turning pale and gagging. Looked like the smell was getting to them too.

The man… could be a small challenge if it came to it, and considering the fact that he was level 250, along with his title increasing his power based on how many people watched him fight. That was when he noticed me.

"And who are you kids? Fans?" Before I could answer, he put a hand up. "Let me guess, you want an autograph from the soon-to-be Overlord, don't you? Come on then, the great Ingemar has always time for his fans!"

I responded with a blank face. "I have never heard of you before. But you want to be Overlord, which is unacceptable." I stepped forward, and made two clones to stay back and watch over my dragons. "Your pointless story ends now."

The now named Ingemar took a sharp inhale, as if shocked by my declaration. "Impossible! How could you have not heard of my magnificence! Me, the—"

"Don't care. You're nothing now." I interrupted simply, and with a quick application of **Flash Step** I appeared in his face, throwing a full-force punch right in his nose. He stumbled back, his nose slightly bleeding; he looked more confused than anything. It seemed I needed to work on my unarmed combat a bit. No matter, I could win anyway.

"How dare you! Interrupting the great Ignemar, do you have no shame?! I will make sure to teach you some respect for your elders!" He ran to me, but found a nasty surprise coming his way.

While he'd been talking, I used some of my Upgrade points to increase my **Unarmed** skill to Expert, and pumped a few points into AGI and DEX. I was still having a hard time weaving between his strikes and attempts to grapple me, though, so I had to get him away from me. With a quick application of **Ignicorpus**, **Mana Knuckle**, **Power Burst** and **Mana Spikes** I nailed the wrestler in the side, and forced him to back off. It was actually rather fun to be using only such a small amount of magic!

But I couldn't afford to let him win.

My best bet was to keep staggering him, while peppering him with hits. He may have been a ridiculous person, but he was no easy enemy.

I rushed in, created several spikes on the palm of my hand, and threw a palm strike to Ingemar's stenum. He managed to put up a defense, but I channeled a Zionga through the point of contact.

Ingemar's arms fell to his sides, numb. I capitalized, and channeled as much mana as I could in my arms to increase their speed massively. The result was them going so fast that it looked like I'd grown a new set.

"_Time for a reference," _I thought, as I channeled **Ignocorpus** along with my new technique.

"Burning scarlet overdrive!" I yelled, as I kept peppering Ingemar with punches too fast for him to react. Then, I threw him away and flexed a bit of fire control to make the flames twirl around my arms for a moment. I turned, and the system registered that the fight was over.

**Ingemar, Lv 250: Defeated!**

**You gained 281.250 Xp! You leveled up (211 – 214)! You gained 15 Stat Points and 3 Upgrade Points!**

Moving towards the group of succubi, I wanted to make them pass a message to the unconscious loudmouth. A slash on my chest made me reconsider it.

I whipped my head around, trying to keep up with the culprit, and a flash of white and red was all I could see before I got another slash on my side.

Not being able to keep, up I activated my **Dragon body**, and the increased stats allowed me to see my enemy, even though I was having trouble reacting to the attacks. When I saw the blur coming for me again, I used the perk I gained for 100 AGI, **Bullet Time**. My perception of time slowed to a crawl, and I had a bit to analyze my opponent.

She was a lithe woman, dressed in a white kimono with red accents and wielding a… wakizashi, I think it's called? Yeah, anyway, she was hella fast thanks to her title, which gave her physical stats a 50% boost during one-on-one fights. I just had to get rid of that bonus, and I'd be able to wreck her. All I had to do was make a few clones, and so I did. Two appeared in front of her, and went to block her strike. Two more appeared behind her, ready to dish out some burning vengeance.

Time flowed again.

The woman, Maiko, had noticeably slowed down seeing my copies appear out of thin air in front of her, but by the time she went to pull back two **Agidyne** found their mark on her. She didn't go down, but the attacks definitely hurt her, as a big part of her kimono was lit up by black flames, which kept searing her flesh.

Me and my clones were about to go and finish this off, when she started spinning around, kicking up a sandstorm strong enough to blind us. When the dust and sand settled, Ingemar and Maiko were nowhere to be seen.

Surprisingly, the succubi hadn't left. When I turned to them, they shuffled around nervously, and most of them flew away.

Except for one of them.

I quirked my eyebrow at the succubus who'd chosen to stay, and she returned the gesture.

"Not gonna leave?" I asked flatly.

"Nah. Not worth it."

I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't seem willing to do so. Thus, I asked.

"Meh. Pay was good an' all, but I ain't gonna deal with that guy anymore. Made it clear anyway, he gets his ass kicked an' I'm out."

I blinked, slowly. Then I did it one again, realizing where she was going with that. "For the record, I'm not going to pay you to follow me around. I don't have any reason to have you with us anyway."

She shrugged. "Don't care. Don't need it, guy paid well."

My eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what are you still doing here?"

"Nothing to do. You're strong. Might as well follow you."

Weird gal.

After me and my clones took a few minutes to put out the rest of the fires and search for survivors – of which there were none, by the way – our weird party left the wreckage of the town:

A demonic dragon.

Two normal dragons.

And one Succubus.

"_What am I doing with my life, really?"_

* * *

**Well, this is very late, I know. Do I even care anymore? No. So we're in the Netherworld finally! And if you didn't guess already, this is a fully custom one.**

**Well, then. I'll be answering the reviews and go on with my day now.**

**Ethhar (both reviews): "Thanks for the element and mod suggestion, I might add it to my personal mudpack sometime. And for Pyra evolving… Eh? I don't really know. I mean, Sora and her will get strong, but I don't know about that. Most definitely, not a purple dragon, though."**

**Zackma2k12: "Have some more, dood!"**

**Deus: "Meh. I'm happy. Don't care if you don't like the story anymore. Doubt you'll read this, but whatever."**

**And if you read all the note, you'll have realized that we have finally got our first bad review. Yay, and whatnot. But really, if you don't like the way things are going, then how about we talk about it like adults instead of throwing a hissy fit? Thanks for coming to my TED talk. See you whenever the next chapter happens.**


	12. 2-2 Powerleveling in hell

**-Day 24 (Monday), mid-afternoon, somewhere in the Netherworld, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

"Let me get this right: you were being paid to follow him around?"

She nodded.

"Huh… and he didn't know?"

She shook her head.

"That's just sad."

She shrugged.

"You don't like talking much, do you?"

Another shake.

"Works for me."

Me and my little group were still exploring the countryside, hoping to find a place to stop at. During the few hours in which we'd walked, we learned a few things from the succubus following us: first, Ingemar was actually one of the weakest contenders to the throne, but he'd managed to go uncontested until now due to dumb luck and no one really considering him a threat. Second, this Netherworld was called Edrua, and was split in three main zones: the plains in which we were; a mountain range northwest of us; and a volcanic zone further beyond that. Nothing really lived in the volcanic zone, except for some monsters. Third, the Overlord's castle was based just on the border between the mountains and the plains.

Lastly, I had a lot of work ahead of me.

**New quest – Way of the King**

**Objectives:**

**-Get rid of Ingemar**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**Rewards:**

**-for every target: (Enough Xp for 5 levels, Rank-up skill token)**

**-for three targets: (Enough Xp for 10 levels, [Dimension Gate] spell scroll)**

**-main: (Enough Xp for 50 levels, three Legendary-rank techniques of your choice)**

Well, I had a big interest in completing said quest now. I wasn't sure why the Xp wasn't just written as a number, but I really didn't mind anyway.

Nonetheless, our main goal for now was to reach the Castle and gather as many demons who were still loyal to my ancestor as possible… thank goodness that demons lived for a long time. And I mean _long_: thousands upon thousands of years, I mean. I was curious as to whether it applied to me as well, but all I could do to check was wait and try not to die.

"_Speaking of lasting, could I make my clones more durable? Or maybe give them a bigger Mp pool?"_ I mused, while walking. _"I need to take note of these ideas. I keep losing them, and it's awful."_

I pulled out my notebook, and scribbled down a new list.

_**Training ideas:**_

_**-more durable clones (add more MP?)**_

_**-get an unarmed style (claws - tiger style?)**_

_**-see if I can fly (maybe Aer magic helps?)**_

_**-TELEKINESIS (Motus?)**_

_**-more physical applications of magic (Telum/Tutamen?)**_

I put the notes away, took a look around. Pyra was chatting with Sora, who was listening patiently. The succubus was to my right, acting disinterested. She did sneak some glances towards us every now and then when she thought we weren't looking, though.

I then realized that I still hadn't **Observe**d her.

**Kellea - N/A**

**Race: Succubus (+2 MAG every level)**

**Lv: 37**

**Hp: 160/160**

**Mp: 300/300**

**STR: 18**

**VIT: 16**

**AGI: 33**

**DEX: 38**

**MAG: 30 (104)**

**LUK: 50**

**As a succubus, Kellea has an extensive knowledge of the seductive arts, though she has never particularly cared to use them… on anyone. Ever. She was regarded with curiosity and concern her whole life due to her choice, but she has grown used to it.**

"_Huh… is she asexual or something? I might be reading too deep into this and she just doesn't like manipulating others… whatever, not my problem anyway. If she isn't going to do it, it's enough for me; regardless of the reason."_

Her magic was good, but her reserves were pretty pitiful… she wasn't really a threat in any way. Though, a little problem came up: how would I train Pyra and Sora without her knowing?

There I was hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with stuff like that. And yet!

Our best bet was to have me play it off as a spell I devised for training, and leave it at that. Thus, I called for a break.

Kellea gave me a sideways glance. "…Tired?"

"Nah," I answered "there's something I need to deal with." I then approached the two dragons, who glanced at each other and then back to me. "This place is dangerous. As such, you both need to be able to deal with threats on your own. That means, that I will train you. Understood?"

Both of them nodded.

"Good. Your training begins—" I threw an arm up, and the world rippled "—now."

The telltale buzzing of grublins started to approach, and I took a moment to explain what was happening before sending them off.

"Right now, we are in a dimension layered over the previous one. In other words, there's a lot of targets for you to practice with. I'll be looking, and stepping in if it gets too dangerous. So come on, go nuts."

Just as I was done talking, a group of four grublins landed near us, holding their clubs up threateningly. Neither dragon moved, unsure of the situation, but when a brave grublin came forth they both sprang into action. Bites, claws, bursts of fire and ice, they didn't hold anything back as they wiped the floor with the grublins. When the last one tried flying away, it got sniped by Pyra.

I gained no Xp from the fight whatsoever, but I didn't really mind: this was for them, not me. I could grind during the nights, after all I only needed to sleep every couple of days.

Both Pyra and Sora gained a couple of levels from that one fight, and the notifications caused them to jump in shock. Luckily, it seemed that only I could see them, other than them of course. Kellea didn't give any sign of seeing the notifications, which was one less hassle to deal with.

"_Ugh, if only we didn't have to deal with her I could explain things in more detail…"_ I complained in my head. All I could do was bear with it; what could I do, kill her? Nah.

"Alright, good job you two. Let's keep moving." They both preened under my praise. "I'd say that hunting down thirty of these things should be good enough for today." And there went their good mood.

They both nodded sullenly, and went to work.

While they did that, I made a few clones to work on some things on my list. Three dealt with Telum and Tutamen, working out how to increase my physical defense and attack by quite a lot. Two worked on Motus magic, trying to control some stones and other things I had lying around in my inventory. One was trying to fly… with varying degrees of success, from what I could see in the distance, and four were integrating the Tiger kung-fu style in my own combat.

* * *

About a few hours later, Sora and Pyra had experienced an exponential increase in power, gaining 35 and 37 levels respectively, bringing them to 58 and 57… I was so proud of them already. They didn't want to stop after feeling the rush of power that came with grinding, so I dealt with the bosses and let them run wild with the weaker mobs. I didn't level up, but I did get a good number of new skills and spells.

**Tiger style (Initiate) +5**

**-Your familiarity with the Tiger kung-fu style. You know the basic stuff, but that's it.**

**Attack boost (200 Mp/hit)**

**-Pure violent energy coats your strikes.**

**-adds an extra .5(+.5) multiplier to any physical strike**

**Defense boost (100 Mp/sec)**

**-Pure defensive energy coats your body.**

**-adds an extra 50(+5) Physical and Magical protection**

**Flight (Novice)**

**-Your familiarity with your wings. You can fly very slowly and carefully, and not for long.**

**-Flight time equal to VIT score in seconds**

**-maximum flight speed is 5 Km/h**

**Confusion (20 Mp/sec)**

**-A light kinetic force applied through your mind.**

**-maximum force applicable: 20 kg**

**-force is divided through the surface.**

The latter spell was a bit more confusing to figure out than I'd like to admit, but the gist of it was that I had to keep a light thread of mana between me and the item I wanted to control, pooling motus vis in a certain direction to move the item in that same direction. Simple to explain, hard to figure out from scratch. I was starting to lack Up, so I thought that it was about time I started grinding Xp again… maybe work on my summoning a bit too? More things to add to the list.

At any rate, after the kids got done with their grinding for today we had dinner, and just decided to stay where we were and continue the day after. I cleared a spot from grass, sticks, and anything else that could cause a fire with a quick application of black fire, made an actual bonfire in the clear patch, and pulled out a bench, along with some sleeping bags… yeah, I had to spend a bunch of GP on that stuff, but I had more than enough to go around for small amenities like that. It did sound a lot like plot convenience, but I had the chance! Why shouldn't I take advantage of it?

I decided to give a bag also to Kellea, in the end. Just because I never asked her to come along was no reason to be a prick when I could be nice. And if it netted me a new friend, then yay.

While the kids went to sleep, I made a couple of clones to keep watch around. Didn't really trust Kellea, even if she wasn't an enemy yet.

Just to pass the time a bit, I scrolled through my skill list, and that helped me realize an important thing: **Observe** was still only at Acolyte rank! It needed to be increased heavily. My immediate goal was to gain Master rank, but in theory I could reach Legenday if I spent a total of 175 Up from right now. That would be… 156 levels. Ouch. Doable, but it would take a lot. Better to just concentrate on the next rank.

I wasn't going to use my ID while Kellea was still awake, so all I could do was wait for now. I took the time to examine her again.

Long green hair, pale skin, red eyes, pointed ears, relatively skimpy clothes (though not so much when considering what the other succubi wore), slim… yeah, she had the look of a demon alright, but didn't strike me as a threat. She was mainly just cute. Not gorgeous, not sexy, just… cute. Not 'little girl' kind of cute, but 'early twenties' cute.

…I started rambling, didn't I?

Admittedly, after almost a month of not seeing anything humanlike (beyond Loki, but that cunt doesn't count), I was having a hard time not looking at her. Part of me was actually glad that she came with us, but the other was a bit worried that I'd do something I would regret. Hopefully I'd be able to control myself enough to do something about it.

I was reconsidering my opinion on hiring a prostitute.

Shaking my head, I looked away. She hadn't paid me any mind, probably used to being stared at, being a succubus and all, but I needed to stop anyway. It wasn't healthy for me to keep thinking about _that_ any more than I should as a hormonal teenager. A demonic hormonal teenager. A draconic, demonic, hormonal teenager. It kept getting worse.

I was starting to feel scared of myself.

My eyes were glued to the fire, not daring to stray. I didn't even realize that two sets of light snores became three. One of my clones had to shake me, to get my attention and point it out to me. I chose to try a new dungeon, to get my mind off the issue entirely. The one I hadn't completed yet was the DOOM arena, so I wanted to try it. But first, I went to an empty dungeon to get an extra summon: the Hell Knight. It was a surprisingly simple manner to beat it, just had to pummel it into the ground with my fully-boosted 350+ STR, and it immediately chose to serve me. Cowardly things, these demons. But I can't fault it: I'd bow to a stronger being too, if I had no other choice.

Dismissing the demon, I opened the DOOM dungeon, getting ready to wreck absolute havoc. The first few fights were incredibly easy, so much so that I opted for doing them only through physical combat to avoid wasting mana. The Mancubus was much easier this time around, going down after only two hits. I slowed a bit during the tenth wave, to analyze the new enemy:

**Hell Baron**

**Lv: 130**

**Hp: 2.375/2.375**

**Mp: 1.750/1.750**

**STR: 150**

**VIT: 155**

**AGI: 105  
DEX: 105**

**MAG: 130**

**LUK: 5**

They looked just like what you'd expect of a stereotypical demon: big, red skin, cloven hooves, horns, permanently snarling, and flinging green fire.

It didn't last long.

I mowed down everything the waves had to offer easily, showing just how over-leveled I really was. After the Baron, the fifteenth wave added the Hell Guards. These were a bit more difficult to deal with, as they resisted physical attacks. Fortunately, after figuring out their weak point it was just a matter to **Stinger** at them, and reap the benefits of a critical hit.

* * *

"_Alright, wave twenty. Let's see what you've got for me."_

**BGM playing: Flesh and Steel (DOOM 2016)**

"_Huh, I have a music player? Might be a new addition."_

A gigantic portal appeared in front of me, wide at least five meters from top to bottom, and out of it hobbled out a hulking monstrosity. Red, beady eyes peered down at me, the face framed at both sides by gigantic horns. Two legs like oak logs underneath it, both made of metal. In the place of the left arm it had a machinegun, an on the left a blade. It was the one, and only:

**Cyberdemon**

**Lv: 200**

**Hp: 16.500 /16.500**

**Mp: 850/850**

**STR: 300**

**VIT: 380**

**AGI: 80**

**DEX: 150**

**MAG: 85**

**LUK: 5**

**Physical Protection: 500**

**Magical Protection: 250**

**Boss rank: EX**

**An ancient demon, returned to life through a mixture of magic and technology. Its only goal is to kill, and if you don't destroy it, it will be free to accomplish just that.**

I wasn't sure if the description was just something the game made up to give me an incentive, or it was real; I wasn't going to let it live anyway.

The two Guards coming up to its sides were easily dealt with by two clones, and now it was just me and the Cyberdemon. It let out a low rumble, and levelled its gun-arm at me. Just as the barrels started to spin, I rushed in close to it. No way I would let it have the first move. I used my new wings to hover in place, and let loose a **Million Stab** at the few fleshy parts it still had. I wasn't able to stay up for long, and so the demon had a chance to smack me away with its blade-arm. My thick scales took the brunt of the impact, and coupled with my resistance to slashing damage I could shrug it off easily. I let myself use some magic, and threw a **Zanma** at its feet to destabilize it. The sharpened gusts of wind left deep cuts into the flesh and steel of the legs, making it wince and stumble back.

A tactical **Bufudyne** flash-froze the ground underneath the demon, and the steel of its feet could not find traction. It fell. I jumped up, and went down blade-first. I impaled it straight in the eye, using also my new **Attack Boost** spell.

**Critical hit! Vital Hit! 7.573 DMG!**

**Dungeon God: Cyberdemon Lv: 200 Killed!**

**BGM: Stop**

I pulled my trusty Deadric Longsword out of the limp skull, and hopped off of it. Looking back at the horn as long as my leg in front of me, I decided to keep it. Who knew, maybe it would be useful. At the very least, I could make a weapon out of it. A quick kick later, and it was broken off, headed straight for my inventory.

***ding***

**Congrats! You completed your first arena!**

**Your rewards for this dungeon will be given as soon as you leave.**

**Do you want to exit the ID? [Y/N]**

"_Yeah, I think I'm good for tonight. I think I should get at least a few dozen levels from this. If not, at least I had fun… I need to find some better hobbies, though."_ I thought as I pressed the prompt. A few ripples in reality later, and the world was back to normal.

**You gained 4.919.000 Xp and 295.600 Gp!**

**You gained the title: Doomslayer!**

**You gained 92 Argent Shards, 31 Argent Fragments, 21 Argent Gems, 8 Argent Clusters, 1 Argent Crystal!**

**You leveled up a lot! (214 – 260)! **

**Due to reaching over level 250, you now gain one extra Up every level!**

**You gained 230 Sp and 56 Up!**

**You gained several perks:**

**Supernatural Strength – STR 250  
Supernatural Endurance – VIT 250**

**Supernatural Agility – AGI 250**

**Supernatural Dexterity – DEX 250**

**Four perks have been combined into one:**

**Supernatural Body – STR, VIT, AGI, DEX 250**

**-Your physical prowess is well beyond that of mortals**

**-Hp gains a *2 multiplier**

**-Your attacks cannot be resisted, but will still be nullified or repelled**

**-You can run at sonic speeds**

**-You hardly get tired**

**-You can perceive incredibly fast things easily**

Well, now that the info-dump was done, it was time to check out the goodies. First, all my relevant stats had gone over 300, with my MAG being two points away from 500. The rest… I wanted to raise them, and become absolutely unstoppable, but that would be too much of a waste of points. I just needed to start working out again. I could start just after I was done.

The "Doomslayer" title would make weaker demons cower, while strong ones would try to kill me. It was a risk/reward deal… I would only use it when needed. Also, other demon hunters would be more friendly, even if I didn't equip the title. That was nice.

My inventory was full to the brim with Argent: I really needed to use it in some way. Well, that was a problem for future me, as now I had training to do!

"_Oh, wait. First off…"_ I pulled up my skill list, and increased **Observe** to Expert level. I could have used my last 50 Up to increase it to Master, but… I decided instead to increase my elemental affinities: it was long overdue.

"_So, Gelum to Adept, Fulguris too, also Aer… Telum, Tutamen, and Motus can go to Initiate. That's all my points, but they were well-spent."_

When I closed the skill list, a new notification appeared before me.

***ding***

**You unlocked the REP screen! To open, use the command: "Reputation"!**

I opened it, curious as to what it would look like. In front of me, appeared a list of people I knew, along with values, and what I assumed was what they thought of me.

**Loki: 10/100 (Amusing kid)**

**Tundra Polar: 25/100 (Trustworthy aquaintace)**

**Star Polar: 10/100 (Unknown)**

**Pyra Sun: 50/100 (Big brother/Mentor)**

**Sora Sukai: 30/100 (Savior/Friend of a friend)**

**Arashi Kumo: -5/100 (Annoyance)**

**Frost Polar: 15/100 (Comrade)**

**Lei Ji: 20/100 (Lost child)**

**Vulcan: 30/100 (Friend)**

**Zilan Astaroth: 0/100 (A way out)**

**Ingemar: -25/100 (Rival)**

**Maiko: -50/100 (Scum)**

**Kellea: 5/100 (Safety)**

I was rather surprised that Ingemar hated me less than who I assumed to be his sidekick, but also Kellea was no less of a surprise. Why would she consider me… 'safety'?

_"Just what is up with that girl?... No matter. I have things to do now."_

To the training I went.

* * *

**-Day 25 (Tuesday), morning, Daniel's camp, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

With a combination of **Gravity Seal**, **Supernatural Body**, and **Diarahan**, I was able to train so hard that my muscles tore themselves to shreds, and I would keep healing them. I hardly got tired, so I just kept going the whole night. It was more than worth it:

+10 STR, +13 VIT, +11 AGI, +12 DEX! All in one night! I was shaping up into an absolute monster.

**Name: Daniel Samuels**

**Title: The Gamer**

**Race: Demonic Drake**

**LV: 260 (23.450/117.000 XP)**

**GP: 1.270.000**

**HP: 10.600 [27.000/27.000] {+2.120/min}**

**MP: 28.300 [42.450/42.450] {+5.660/min}**

**STR: 338 [507]**

**VIT: 321 [481]**

**AGI: 339 [508]**

**DEX: 340 [510]**

**MAG: 498 [747]**

**LUK: 235**

**Stat Points: 911**

**Upgrade points: 0**

**Physical Protection: 310**

**Magic Protection: 90**

**Resistance: Slash, Pierce**

**Null: Fire**

If one were to run the math, my total stats would match those of someone a bit over level 400, and with my **Drake Body **boost active that would increase to just a bit less than level 600! I didn't even really need to use my extra points anymore.

Though, as I had literally no way to increase LUK other than points, I would need to use them there anyway. Thoughts for later.

As my party was taking a bit to wake up, I pulled out some food from my inventory and got started on breakfast. Some bacon, sausages, and a salad for me and Kellea… if she didn't want it, more for me. I would've made eggs, hadn't it been that two of my teammates were born from eggs. Thus, I chose to abstain.

"Alright, it's ready. Let's wake up the slackers," I muttered.

Not a moment later, I noticed that Kellea wasn't in her sleeping bag. A quick look around revealed that she was already scarfing down the food with gusto. I cleared my throat, waiting for her to realize I was watching. She stopped her movements immediately, her eyes landing on me. She looked at me as if I'd found her with the hand in the cookie jar.

"I see you like it. Let me know if you want more, ok?" I said, and left her alone as I went to wake up the dragons.

**+5 REP with Kellea**

"_Huh. Seems I can see this stuff in real time now. Nice."_

I shook Pyra and Sora awake, both of them grumbling. It seemed that while they could work under game rules, their bodies wouldn't act like my own. Though, after getting a bite of my food they immediately perked up. I honestly didn't get why; I wasn't such a great cook anyway. Just about average, really.

While the group ate, I considered my plan again. Reaching the Overlord's castle was good and all, but what afterwards? Even if some demons were still loyal to Machrosias, there was no guarantee that they would follow me. And even if they did follow me, how many would do so? There were too many 'ifs' in that idea. What I needed was some actual support, more than two young dragons and a succubus. What I needed… was an army.

My eyes fell on my DOOM summoning skill. I needed to increase its rank massively, but when I did manage to do so, the results would be great. It was time to get myself a legion of demons.

**New quest – Call to arms**

**Objectives:**

**-Get Alienis Magic to Expert rank**

**-Make all the demon summons obey you**

**Bonus Objectives:**

**-Get Alienis Magic to Master rank**

**-Forge 4 Argent Armor sets (0/4)**

**Rewards:**

**-Bonus 1: +700.000 XP, +500.000 GP**

**-Bonus 2: +2.000.000 Xp, Rank-up skill token**

**-Main: +1.500.000 XP, Title: Demon General**

All the better for me.

…Though I was feeling a bit lazy: I'd just got done grinding, couldn't I get a break?!

I ran the math in my head. _"I get two Up every level now, so I would need… 45 levels to get it all the way to Master. Ugh. Wait, I can grind along with my clones. If I make a lot, we should be able to cut down the time a lot, increasing profit. Ok, I should grind until I reach at least another 60 levels. I need to increase my forging before I create the armor. And if my gut feeling is right, each one should be fitted for the members of my team."_

I was brought out of my thoughts by a nudge. Pyra, Sora, and Kellea were all holding their plates out in front of me. Kellea was looking anywhere but me, while Sora seemed amused. Pyra, instead, had a gigantic grin splitting her face.

"Seconds, please!"

A small smirk grew on my face as well. _"How about I enjoy the moment first?"_

"Alright, give me a few minutes," I said. I cracked my knuckles, moving to the fire and pulling out my pans again.

* * *

**-Same time, Overlord's castle, ?'s P.O.V.-**

"A new challenger for the throne, you say? What do you know about this one?"

"Not much. He just popped up out of nowhere, and beat some upstart. I think that one's name was… In-whatever. Can't remember. Still, the newbie seems pretty strong."

"Nothing else?"

"Well, I know for a fact that he travels with two young dragons, and he seems able to turn into one too. Some voices say also that a succubus has joined him."

"In other words, he is a foolish child traveling with weaklings. I don't see why it bothered you so much, just send someone to deal with him. Let me know when he dies."

"Alright then, bye~!"

_*Slam*_

"Ugh… that girl will be the death of me one day, I can feel it."

* * *

**-Day 25 (Tuesday), afternoon, somewhere else in the Netherworld, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

We marched for… a while. It was rather mind-numbing, all things considered. All I had to do was look at stuff, **Observe** stuff, and chat with the others every now and then. Like now.

"Sooo… what are you, anyway?" Asked Pyra, ever the curious one.

Kellea shifted uncomfortably, probably not wanting to tell the young girl the details.

"…Succubus," she muttered.

"And what's that?"

I decided to step in before things could degenerate. "Another kind of demon. They're a bit subtler in how they do things compared to me, but beyond that? Not too much of a difference."

"Huh… Ok then!"

Kellea and I exchanged a look, both of us thinking _"Crisis averted"_ at the same time.

**+5 REP with Kellea!**

"_Nice."_

"Waaait a second—" Pyra turned back around. Behind her, I could see Sora perform a face-wing. "—What do you mean with 'difference'? There _is_ a difference, no? You just said so."

"_She's getting too observant. Crud."_ I was wracking my head for a solution, when Kellea stepped up.

She pointed to herself. "Mind magic. Weak." She then pointed to me. "Element magic. Strong."

Pyra stared us in silence, as if trying to catch a lie. After a few seconds, she shrugged and moved on.

I held my breath for a bit longer, waiting until Pyra was out of earshot and back to chattering Sora's ears off, then releasing a relieved sigh. Kellea did the same at my side.

I moved a bit close to whisper to her. "Thanks for the save. I really don't want to explain _that_ to her. Not yet, at least."

She nodded. "Thank you too."

We didn't exchange words for a while after that accident, but I could tell that Kellea trusted me a bit more now. I did too, but I wouldn't stop keeping a metaphorical dagger under my metaphorical pillow until I got her REP up to 50 minimum. As demons, it wasn't a good choice to trust others easily. Maybe I was exaggerating, but I didn't want to get stabbed in the back because I let my guard down.

* * *

**-That evening…-**

That evening, we had to camp out again. I was getting more than a little fed up with it, and I assumed the others were too. So, I did what I like doing most and delegated my work to my clones.

"Ok, boys. Go full-speed and search around for an actual town. This is really getting ridiculous. And while you're there, see if you can find a way to make some quick money too. Forging could work, but let's not limit ourselves."

My clones gave me an ironic military salute, and then half of them ran off in different directions. I then turned to the rest.

"You know what time it is?"

"Grinding time… yay." They all dully said.

"You all like it as much as I do. Let's just get a couple of hours in, then we'll sleep. Alright?"

When they all muttered out affirmatives, I opened a new ID, the Ghost ID. Inside, the first enemy we encountered was an ethereal, humanoid being. It had sharp claws instead of hands, a mouth full of fangs, and it screeched as soon as it saw us. I tried to punch it, but my hand passed through like nothing. It slashed at me, and this time it found purchase on my skin.

I moved back to examine the enemy.

**Vengeful Ghost**

**LV: 100**

**HP: 300/300**

**MP: 750/750**

**STR: 130**

**VIT: 30**

**AGI: 130**

**DEX: 130**

**MAG: 75**

**LUK: 5**

**Physical Protection: 0**

**Magical Protection: 25**

**Null: Blunt, Slash, Pierce**

**A spirit full of vengeance who died in a gruesome way. It wants to kill all living beings in front of it, which includes you.**

"_So that was the reason. Well, good thing that I'm still a caster for the most part,"_ I thought as I let loose my signature black **Agidyne**.

**2.867 DMG!**

**Vengeful Ghost LV: 100 was killed! You gained 2.500 XP!**

And that was one fodder enemy dead. It wasn't a lot of XP for me, all things considered, but it would accumulate. If the fodder enemies had such a high level, how much would the bosses give?

I was excited beyond belief.

* * *

The excitement died down a bit after thirty ghosts, but thanks to my clones the progress was much faster than it would've been otherwise. The mini-boss gave me some hope.

**Wraith**

**LV: 150**

**HP: 2.250/2.250**

**MP: 6.000/6.000**

**STR: 55  
VIT: 150  
AGI: 150  
DEX: 140**

**MAG: 250  
LUK: 5**

**Physical Protection: 0**

**Magical Protection: 170**

**Null: Blunt, Slash, Pierce**

**Resist: Dark, Death, Ice**

**Weak: Light**

**The remnants of a mage who tried to extend their lifespan and failed. It is now cursed to roam the gap between worlds. All it can feel is eternal rage. Be on guard, though, as it can still remember several spells.**

The Wraith was a gangly thing, with extremely long and bony limbs. It had no face, leaving only a pitch-black hole to gaze into. It hurt to look at it.

A deafening screech came from the hole, and I found myself stuck in place. Using what limited motion I had left, I saw that my clones were in my same situation.

**Status applied: Paralysis (00:29) [Afflicted beings cannot move]**

The counter was ticking down at the edge of my sight, but not fast enough for my tastes. I eyed the Wraith warily, staring at it as it got closer. Suddenly, it picked me up by the neck, pulling me close to the hole on its head.

The pain I felt when I looked at the hole immediately spiked, becoming unbearable, and I saw some light blue droplets escaping my eyes, nose, and mouth, heading straight into the gaping hole.

**Paralysis (00:26)**

**Soul drain [Afflicted beings lose 5.000 MP every second, or 1.000 HP when there is no MP]**

"_Shit, shit, this thing has an actual chance to kill me! What do I do?"_ I screamed internally.

**(00:24)**

Every second, I felt my mana draining away from me.

"_Think, goddammit! My clones can't help, I'm stuck, and I don't have much time!"_

**(00:23)**

"_Come on, don't I have any skills that can help? Wait, maybe—" _I tried using **Ignocorpus**, but all it did was make the Wraith suck harder.

"_Ok, something else then!"_

**(00:21)**

"_I'm almost out of mana, I could really use some help here Game! Wait, help! That's it!"_

I tried summoning some demons to help out, and that surprisingly worked! A small group of Imps and Possessed Soldiers, rained fire and plasma on the Wraith, making it screech in pain and throw me away. Fortunately, it didn't hurt, and I landed in a position that let me see the fight.

The three Imps I summoned were running around and taking potshots, while the Soldiers were keeping the Wraith's attention. Either my summons were smarter than me, or they knew what I knew, as every time the Wraith tried to screech someone would hit its not-face, dazing it and giving others time to get some hits in. I was admittedly damn proud of my demons when they managed to off the mini-boss a few seconds before the Paralysis wore off.

I finally got up. I looked at my demons, and then at my clones.

"I need some status resistances. And to blast all wraiths I see with some heavy Agidynes."

* * *

**This chapter is a bit shorter than normal, only 5.5K words, but I felt like this was a decent point to stop. There was definitely a lot of grinding in this chapter, which… I have to say, while necessary for later, I don't really like to write more than one, **_**maybe**_** two grinding sessions per chapter. I would rather keep them a bit more rare, or off-screen as we did in Canaan. Though, with all the new stuff in here it wasn't really a choice.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it has its issues. I try to put at least some plot stuff in any chapter, whether it be foreshadowing or whatever. The small slice-of-life stuff was probably my favorite part to write. I should do more stuff like it in the future. Maybe a story filled with that?**

…**thoughts for another day, I would rather concentrate here for now.**

**Well, that's all I have to say for this chapter, so on to the reviews.**

**Spyro Fanboy: "Glad you enjoyed last chapter. I was honestly a bit iffy on the part with Nidhoggr, but I'm glad you were able to enjoy anyway."**

**BoinkChonkIII: "Yes, they will. If you read the rewards for the first quest in the chapter, you'll notice a 'dimension gate' spell. They might go back before the end of the Overlord ark, to fix up some leftover issues. Also, even if the main story ends, I'm planning a sequel/epilogue story to this, so we can go do Gamer shenanigans in the multiverse there. Don't be afraid, I'm not giving up on this story."**

**And that's all we had today… really? Again? Bah, why do I even bother. Just write what you will, people.**

**Oh, and before I go: With this chapter, we've finally breached 80K words, along with hitting over 8K views. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for this, and hope to keep writing a story that you will all enjoy.**

**Xeno out!**


	13. 2-3 Knight and family

**-Day 25 (Tuesday), Night, Ghost ID, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

"Come at me, ya big lug! Let's see if that bulk is all for show!" I yelled, and threw myself at the Field Boss, the Gashadokuro.

In short this thing was a gigantic skeleton, about thirty meters tall, with literal flames in its eye sockets, and dried blood all over it.

I'd seen worse.

The beast swiped at me, but I quickly backflipped out of the way and started running up its arm. It tried to throw me off with the other arm, and I used **Flash Step** to move further up the arm, avoiding the hit. When I reached the head, I released all the magic I'd charged in one blast:

"Eat this! **Giga Bufudyne**!"

The power of ten different spells hit the skeleton's face at once, freezing it over and extinguishing the flames.

**16.875 DMG!**

It was still alive, though. I was able to see the flames starting to flicker again through the ice, so I channeled far more magic through my body than would be advisable. When the crescendo of power stabilized, I threw it all forward in a **Giga Attack Boost**-empowered punch.

**5.820 DMG!**

Its head was immediately pulverized.

I dropped down to the ground, ignoring the pop-ups, and looking at what would become a permanent part of my ensemble from then on: the Goron Bracelet. That little thing added 100 points to any physical attack! So, when adding in my multipliers, that value would skyrocket! It was really worth the 120.000 GP I had to spend on it… though to be honest, I was kind of loaded. I could afford to splurge a bit, what with the million-and-change GP I still had left.

Also, the reason why I managed to overcharge my spells like that, was due to the 500 MAG perk.

**Limit Override – 500 MAG**

**-Your mana cannot be contained to simple spell matrixes anymore**

**-Can multiply the MP cost of a spell to multiply its effect**

**-Effects release all at once**

I cracked my knuckles, allowing a feral grin to grow on my face.

"One down, a lot more to go."

I carefully took in my surroundings, paying more attention to sounds than sight. The Wendigo was a smart foe, definitely. After all, its first attacks had aimed for my tendons, plus it was using magic to incapacitate my senses.

The fog was thick, so thick in fact, that even my Aer magic couldn't budge it.

But I had my own tricks.

The moment I heard a noise to my 7 o'clock, **Bullet Time** turned on, allowing me to turn around and intercept the monster. I grabbed its wrist. It tried to sever my arm with the other claw, but I caught that one as well. It threw its head forward, trying to take a bite from my face, and I answered with the **Giga Flame Breath** I'd been holding in since the beginning of the fight.

It screeched in pain for a few seconds, and went still soon after. I let go of the arms and the spell, the body falling backward with a thump. The head and neck had been incinerated.

I picked up an antler that I'd severed with a lucky shot at the beginning, turning it over in my hands.

"_I could make a nice dagger out of this, maybe play the assassin archetype sometime later?"_ I mulled. In the end, I put the antler away in my inventory, and left the ID. I'd gotten bored, anyway.

When I returned to reality, I allowed myself to look over my notifications.

**You leveled up! (260 – 290) You gained 350 Stat Points and 60 Upgrade Points!**

**You gained 73.500 GP!**

**You obtained: Wendigo's Antler (Rare)**

My stats were bugging me something fierce, being all a few points short of 400 exactly. It wouldn't hurt to round up a bit, would it?

**Name: Daniel Samuels**

**Title: The Gamer**

**Race: Demonic Drake (+2 to all stats except LUK every level)**

**LV: 290 (34.875/130.500 XP)**

**GP: 1.223.500**

**HP: 18.500 [46.750/46.750] (+3.700/min)**

**MP: 43.500 [65.250/65.250] (+8.700/min)**

**STR: 400 [600]**

**VIT: 400 [600]  
AGI: 400 [600]**

**DEX: 400 [600]  
MAG: 560 [840]  
LUK: 235**

**Stat Points: 1257**

**Upgrade Points: 60**

**Physical Protection: 50 [125]**

**Magical Protection: 12 [90]**

**Resist: Slash, Pierce**

**Null: Fire**

I was rather happy to see the gigantic amount of power I'd accumulated in a bit less than a month. Though… my LUK was falling behind. Again.

Ugh, I was becoming addicted to the dice, wasn't I?

I boosted LUK up to 300, and when prompted I decided to choose an extra day to roll. _"It's turning Wednesday, so…"_

I chose Wednesday.

And since midnight had passed, I was able to roll again. A… six and four! Nice! The four gave me an extra 15 Stat Points, and I rolled for the spell. Another 4.

**New spell:**

**Megaton Press – 500 MP/enemy**

**-A blast of power leaves your body, flattening all around you in a short range.**

**-Deals 250(+5) DMG**

**-Damage counts as Blunt**

That… was very good! I needed more spells related to physical combat, and this was perfect for it! I looked at the skill list, and noticed that **Megaton Press** was registered under Telum magic. Fitting.

With the UP I increased my Alienis magic up to Expert rank, and used the last 20 points to increase Telum and Tutamen to Acolyte.

No more points to spend, but I was fine. I didn't really need the first bonus from the quest, either. The armor would be useful, but the extra summons… meh. Who cared.

I closed all the screens, getting my head 'out of the game', so to speak.

"_The skies here look pretty nice… for being in a world full of demons, that is."_

I sat there, I don't even know how long, just… contemplating. My new role, my goals, what would come after… what I was doing now.

"_It's been almost a month… for my family, it was seven years… I can't even begin to imagine how much it could've hurt for them. They'd finally accepted that I wasn't coming back, and then there I went shattering their reality again. I wonder how they will react to actually seeing me again… dad didn't even want to listen. I suppose he did care, after all. Why would I think anything else?"_

A sigh escaped my lips.

"_This is getting me nowhere. All I can do now is press on, and finish this. Then, I should be able to go home… then again, I can't just conquer the place and then fuck off. Another reason to get permanent clones: I can leave one here, and go home for a while. Wait."_ I thought, as I remembered something. _"Loki said that if I declined, he'd offer the same thing to my child, and so on. Does that mean… dad went through the same song and dance, but said no?"_ I frowned. _"If he suddenly remembered, then it would stand to reason that he doesn't want to talk to me. He probably considers himself responsible for what happened… I need to talk with him."_

I pulled out my notebook, jotting down a plan for the future.

_**-Talk to dad**_

_**-Get rid of Ingemar (either kill him or make him give up his ambition)**_

_**-Find out the other targets**_

_**-Eliminate the other targets**_

_**-Be recognized as king**_

_**-Go home for a while**_

_**-Find a new goal in life**_

_**-Maybe get some friends? (Pyra is like a little sister/daughter, and Sora... is Sora.)**_

I knew I didn't really have to write any of that stuff down, but it made me feel better to keep a list, as unorganized as that list was. It was more of a guideline for me to remember to do stuff.

I really did need some friends: I'd literally personified a moving mass of dirt!

My shoulders slumped at that thought. There was no two ways about it: as much as I could say that I could deal with loneliness, I really needed others around me. Was I whining? Yes. Did I care? Not really, since it was only in my head anyway.

I hazarded a glance towards the sleeping bags, my eyes landing on Kellea's back.

"_Maybe her following me was the universe throwing me a bone… let's hope…"_

Since it didn't seem like anything was out of place, I left a clone to keep guard (much to his chagrin), and went to sleep.

**-Day 26 (Wednesday), Early Morning, Overlord's Castle, ? P.O.V.-**

"_Mine new lord hath given me a mission, and as the knight I pride myself to be, I shall accomplish it posthaste. There is a nagging feel in mine own mind, that calls out to me. It is as if I hath forgotten an important detail."_ I would have shaken mine head, had I possessed one. Mine preparations were complete, thus I had no time to dally. _"I am certain that whatever detail I may have missed shalt return to mine memory relatively soon."_

Riding upon mine trusted steed, I made haste to fulfill mine duty.

"_I sure hope that this lad may prove to be a challenge. It has been many centuries since I hath felt the thrill of battle. How I wish you would return, Lord Machrosias. Mine unlife hath not been the same anymore without our next bout to inspire me."_

A sigh echoed in mine armour. Even the dead may still mourn, it would seem.

**-A bit later, Clone 5's P.O.V.-**

"_Gotta find a town, gotta find a town… Man, this place is boring. Just fields over fields, you'd think that you would be able to see towns in the distance. At this rate I might be able to reach the castle first."_

Running incredibly fast may seem fun to you, but it gets stale very quickly when it's the only thing you can do.

"_Wait, is that—Yeah! A town! Finally, I'm free of this boredom!"_

I slowed down considerably when I reached the town, taking in the sights. It seemed like the citizens weren't worried of attacks, due to the lack of walls around the town. The surrounding fields indicated an economy based on agriculture… I could work with that.

**-?'s P.O.V.-**

As loath as I was to admit it, the information mine lord's vassal hath given me was… lackluster, to say the least. All that she mentioned was the looks of the lad, along with a general direction in which to go. As it stood, mine best choice was to ask the populace, and hope any hath caught sight of mine target.

Thus, so I rode, directed to a nearby town. It was on the way of mine path, at any rate.

**-Clone's P.O.V.-**

I wasn't quite sure where to go, or who to talk to, in regards to getting decent info, so I opted to walk around a bit.

A few minutes later, the sound of a gallop reached me. I ducked out of the way, and the culprit stopped just a few meters in front of me. It was a headless horseman. I'm serious: a gigantic armor, tall maybe seven feet at the shoulder, was riding on a horse. I may not have noticed anything weird about the horse, if I hadn't caught sight of its legs: they missed any flesh, skin, or ligaments. Pure and utter bone.

"_So, a headless horseman on a skeleton horse gallops to a small town… sounds like the beginning of a joke,"_ I thought humorlessly, and tried to get a read on the… knight, I suppose I could call him, considering the kite shield on his back and the broadsword on his hip.

**Error: Target's level is too high to Observe**

"_I'm screwed, aren't I? Well, at least I'm just a clone."_

I righted myself, which prompted the knight to turn around and look at me. Well, I say look, but in reality the armor just shifted a bit in my direction, and the blue flame that was in place of its head flickered a bit.

The knight lowered him—nah, _it_self off of its horse, and took a couple of strides over to me. The flame flickered again, this time tilting downwards a bit towards me. Was it studying me as well?

"Thou," it began with an echo-y voice, "art the one whom calls himself 'Daniel', correct?"

I blinked. How did it know my name? I nodded slowly, hoping not to anger this obviously powerful demon.

"Perfect." It stepped back, and drew its sword. "Draw thy weapon, for thy time hath come." It held its ground, expecting me to come at it.

Instead, I held up my hands hoping to defuse the situation and hopefully get some info. "Wait, wait. Let me understand: are you going after the throne, too?"

Its flame-like head flickered side to side, which I assumed meant it was shaking its head. "Nay. I hath no true quarrel with ye, but alas mine lord hath requested for thee to be cut down. And as the loyal knight I am, I shall follow my lord's orders. I shall allow thee to die in battle, at least."

I sighed. I seemed the knight wouldn't let up. Hopefully I could get some more info out of him. "Well, before that, can I at least know the names of who ordered my end and who will bring it?"

The knight made no motion, except for a nod. "That is acceptable. Mine name is Lanoor, and mine lord is Veryon, soon to be ruler of all Edrua. Now, it is time to stop stalling. Fight me now, or perish." He pointed its blade at me, to prove its point.

"_How I wish we'd made stronger clones already…"_ I lamented the Main body's order of action, but there really wasn't anything I could do about it at the moment, except leaving a mental note to myself.

Clones and Main shared the inventory, so I could pull out the Zombie Halberd… it had been a while since I pulled it out, but since the Main tended to use the sword most, it was better if I used something else. As a clone, I also had a limited pool of 1K mana, so I had to use it very sparingly. I also couldn't allow myself to be hit, so I needed to resort to hit-and-run tactics. I didn't know if I could be fast enough with 600 AGI, so I decided to use my magic lo layer a few **Power Burst**s on me. The multiple boosts rose my stats to 840, and my **Power of the Underdog** activated too, bringing my STR to 877. Gosh, I loved my 1.5 multiplier, since it applied also to my boosts.

"_The boosts take 20 MP a second, so I have less than a minute. Let's do this!"_

I dashed forth, the knight bringing its shield in front of it just in time to deflect my strike, and swing at my side. I went along with my slash's momentum, and rolled on the ground to avoid the hit. An actual shockwave erupted from the broadsword's speed, showing just how powerful the knight was.

I got back to my feet quickly, and tried again. This time, instead of the shield, I struck the ground in front of the knight and used the impact to vault over it, striking from behind. I left only a small scratch, but it was something. I jumped away from the swing coming for me again.

The knight turned back to me, the ethereal flame burning brighter than before.

"Keep going! This battle is shaping up to being a fun one!" It yelled, and this time it approached.

It was much faster than me in my usual mode, but I was still able to move away from the hit with some effort. I retaliated with a swing of my halberd, and when it was blocked I used the momentum to spin the halberd's shaft around my neck to attack from the other side. The knight blocked my hit with the sword, throwing me back in a display of saw strength.

I dug my halberd's shaft into the ground, taking a deep breath. _"No way I can beat him, but I have a rough idea of how to fight him now. Main will be better with all the magic he can do, too."_ I righted myself, and looked back to the knight. "Well, this was rather fun. But I need to go now. I'll admit, I don't think I ever had such a difficult fight before! But, I know when I am beaten, so I'll take my leave now. Have a good one, Lanoor!"

I gave a half-hearted salute, and as a final 'fuck you' I poured all the MP I had into creating raw Gelum mana around me. I felt cold, and then knew no more.

I shuddered as my clone's memories rushed to me: using up all of your mana never felt good after you got used to having so much of it.

***ding***

**You created a new spell!**

**Glacial Detonation – Variable cost**

**-A last-ditch effort to take down your enemy, along with all around you.**

**-Deal (MP used)*2.5 Ice DMG**

**-Flash-freeze anything in a radius of (MP used)/50 meters**

My eyes widened at what my clone managed to do. The absolute madlad!

"_Well, that's nice and all, but I doubt that the amount of MP my clone had left was enough to actually kill this 'Lanoor' fella. Wound him, certainly, but kill? No way."_ My eyes narrowed in determination. _"I need to up my training: I'll train physically, and my clones will get me levels. At the very least, I need to reach level 400: Lanoor was at the very least there, or maybe way more. And let's not talk about his boss! Veryon… who is _this_ bugger?"_

***ding***

**Quest updated! - Way of the king**

**Objectives:**

**-Get rid of Ingemar**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of ?**

**-Get rid of Veryon**

**-Get rid of ?**

**Rewards:**

**-For every target: (Enough Xp for 5 levels, Rank-up skill token)**

**-For three targets: (Enough Xp for 10 levels, [Dimension Gate] spell scroll)**

**-main: (Enough Xp for 50 levels, three Legendary-rank techniques of your choice)**

Being close to the end of the list probably meant that he was one of the strongest. I didn't like it, there were still too many unknowns on that list.

"Wait, everyone. I've got some news." I motioned for my three companions to gather around me. "One of my clones just informed me that we have a demon coming after us, and he's very powerful. My clone could just stall him for a while, and maybe wound him with a cheap shot."

"But if your clone can put up a fight," interrupted Sora, "doesn't that mean that you would be able to deal with this demon? From what I understand, you should be much stronger than your clones."

I gave a nod. "While I can put up a better fight than my clones, there's still a chance that he would bypass me directly and go for you three. As that strongest of the group, I feel like it's my responsibility to make sure that no overpowered enemies come at you." I waved my hand in dismissal "At any rate, my point is that we need to change our route. This demon was on our way, so we need to either go somewhere else or take a detour."

**+5 REP with Sora, Pyra, and Kellea!**

At least they appreciated the concern.

After a moment of deliberation, Kellea rose her hand. "…I know someone. Maybe she can help."

With no better option, we decided to trust the succubus on this matter. I still had my metaphorical dagger, but if I didn't try to trust others I would end up alone; I really didn't want that.

**You leveled up!**

"_Wait, how?"_

**-Lanoor's P.O.V.-**

I should have realized something was amiss when the coward stopped fighting. While mine ability was leagues beyond his own, that was no reason to give up so easily! No, he had planned to escape from the very beginning!

I was fortunate to not be an incarnation of fire, else the coward's last-ditch effort may have slain me for good. As it stood, I was strong enough to survive the immense amount of ice which sprouted on the ground.

…The rest of the city was not as fortunate: dozens upon dozens of demons… frozen. That had not been the first time I felt such a degree of magic, and knew for a fact that only Demon Lords and above may have had a chance to survive.

Was that why mine lord hath given be this mission? To be rid of such a callous murderer?

There were voices of a village being razed in the south, and mine target came from that same direction… could it be that he was the cause of it?

Demons killing each other for a variety of reasons was nothing new, but committing mindless genocide was way over the limit!

"Prepare yourself, fool… This has become a personal matter."

**-The day after, Meidi's P.O.V.-**

I'd always considered myself a rafter stable woman. After quitting my old job due to some wounds that reduced my skills greatly, I cut ties with my old life. Leedri wasn't the biggest town in Edrua, but it was still a rather idyllic place in an otherwise chaotic Netherworld. I appreciated the atmosphere of the place, the calm and simple town-y lifestyle suiting me just fine.

Like every day, I readied myself for my usual patrol: someone had to take care of the city's protection, and as one of the strongest in town I was suited for it.

The crisp morning air blew through my silver-gray hair, bringing with it the smell of dew and wheat that greeted me every day. What _wasn't_ usual was the sound of wings flapping… and rather frantically, too. The sound was too heavy to be a bird, so I looked around to investigate it. I barely registered the sight of a pair of reddish-black wings and the unmistakable sound of screaming, when I found myself squashed to the ground.

"That… could have gone better," said whoever was on top of me. I heard another pair of wings approaching, and my assailant pulled himself up.

"Hey, are you feeling alright? Can you understand what I'm saying?" Asked the flying failure.

I didn't bother answering, and got back up on my feet. In front of me was a young man with brown hair, red slitted eyes, and dark-red scales over his cheeks. A more thorough check showed that his arms and legs were covered in scales too, along with having a pair of draconic wings jutting out of his back. And standing next to him…

"…Kellea?"

My little girl nodded, tears falling from her eyes. I didn't wait a second longer, and threw myself at her, hugging her with all my strength.

"_Ooookaaay… I'm definitely missing something here…"_

I just let them hug it out for a minute… then a few minutes…

They finally let go of each other- Oh, nope. Back at it.

…so awkward.

"I'm home."

I couldn't believe I could hear her voice again after so long! It was almost too good to be true!

After a few minutes, I slowly distanced myself away from her, just enough to look at my girl. I lightly stroked her tear-stained cheek.

"Look at you… you've grown up so well… I- I thought I'd never see you again…"

She squeezed herself to me even harder than before.

"I'm back." Though she said that, she distanced herself just as fast. "But we need your help."

I was wondering what she could possibly need: maybe a place to stay? Probably that.

"Sure thing honey, whatever you need."

**-A wee bit later…-**

"…and that's when she mentioned you could help. I'm not really sure how, but at this point I'll take all the help I can get." The boy slumped in his chair, visibly tired from all that had been happening to them.

His story was… hard to believe, to put it simply: pulled out of his world and forced to become Overlord in order to see his family again? That was quite the tale, yet he demonstrated it was true with that weird armor of his.

Normally I wouldn't have involved myself with anyone vying for the throne, but with Kellea asking me to help I couldn't just say no, could I?

"Well, I can't help you fight the other potential Overlords, as they're all notoriously stronger than me… except that one Ingemar man, from what you told me, but still. The others are way beyond him. What I _can_ help you with, is give you a place to stay for now and help you refine your abilities for the fights ahead of you."

His eyes widened when I mentioned the others' power. He probably thought that it would be an easy task, the naïve child.

"For now I suggest resting up a bit, for all of you. I have a job to get to, so I can't be here to supervise you the whole time. Don't destroy anything!" I yelled as I left.

Damn it, I was running late.

**-Daniel's P.O.V.-**

"So, care to explain what your relationship with this Meidi is?" I asked Kellea, confused.

"My mother… adopted." She waited a bit before adding anything else. "I don't know my parents. She found me and grew me. We got separated three years ago."

My eyes widened at the sudden backstory. Why did **Observe** not even allude to that? I was confused, but put the matter away for the time being. I had already other things to deal with, namely increasing my summoning roster. I still hadn't gotten around to doing that, and it was bothering me.

I quietly got up, and announced I'd be back soon. A quick **ID Create** later, and I was alone.

Time to get fierce.

I started summoning demon after demon, beating them into submitting very easily. There were a few demons I hadn't seen in the DOOM dungeon, though: the Lost Soul, which was a horned, burning, skull which would screech and charge as soon as it saw me. The slightest hit was enough to kill it, but the trick was to kill it before it exploded: I ran a test, and my Hell Knight was vaporized.

Impressive.

The other additions were, in full: Hell Razers, Revenants, Mancubi, Cyber-Mancubi, Summoners, and the Cacodemons.

The Summoner was the most expensive, costing 1.000 Mp every hour to keep summoned, but… well… I recovered over 8K a minute. My army could be absolutely massive.

I still missed the Master and Legendary-rank demons, but it was a good team for the time being: Mancubi and Cyber-Mancubi for tanks, Revenants and Cacodemons as flying units, Razers, Imps and Soldiers for long-range, with a bunch of Knights for close-range. All of that topped off with Summoners to guide them, as they were the smartest of the bunch.

Anyway, that was enough about my summons.

The quest could be completed, but I still had something to do: that was, increase my crafting skills until I could make some cool armor.

Before I got to that, I wanted to see if I could fuse the Argent shards together like **Observe** said I could. Thus, I took ten shards in my hand and tried the first thing that came to mind: melting them together. Surprisingly, it worked!

I tried to repeat the process with ten fragments, but a notification appeared in front of me.

**Your mastery of the skill [Crafting: Tools] is not high enough.**

I blinked.

"_Alright, how will I go about this… I'll need to increase my Tools rank, not just the Armor rank. I'd like to have both at Expert, that way I can make at least Rare items, though I'd enjoy something higher. At minimum that would be… 70 points, so 35 levels. Yeah, I'll just get to the end of the Ghost dungeon, that should be enough."_

With that plan ready, I first made a clone through a more experimental way: instead of using a set amount of mana and cutting it off, I tried keeping a sort of link between us and to split my reserves perfectly in half. The result was, well…

**The skill [Kage Bunshin] has been upgraded into [Multi-form]**

**Multi-form (Variable MP cost)**

**-Mp is split equally between bodies **

**-Secondary bodies have half the original's HP, all other stats are equal to User.**

**-Xp gained by secondary bodies is halved.**

**-Can control up to 1 extra body**

That was hella good!... yet also hella bad. Since I could control only one body, I'd need to increase it in some way, else I wouldn't be able to use my clones as an attack force.

At least this one double was much sturdier than the previous clones.

There was no need to talk, we both knew what to do. I jumped into the Ghost ID, and my clone returned to the others.

**-Clone's P.O.V.-**

Alright, so while the original me was grinding like usual, I had finally a chance to take it easy. I easily plopped into a chair and started browsing the shop's book section, to find something relaxing to read. In the end, I settled for the sixth Harry Potter book: I'd never actually gotten around to reading any beyond the fifth, and since I had the chance…

Before I could really get into it, I heard a door open; Sora slinked out of it, and closed it behind him. He then took a place in the chair opposite to mine. He seemed to be having a small internal debate, so I left him be.

"There's something I wanted to ask you."

"_Hoo boy…"_ I put my book down, marking the page. "Go on, then."

Sora peered at his pale blue scales. "Ever since you gave me some of your magic, I've been feeling… different, for lack of a better word. My mana feels more flexible. Do you know why?"

I took a moment to think about it. "_Loki did mention that his core had started to produce mana similar to mine."_

"Yes, I know why. You see, when I jump-started your core again, it was damaged. It had completely forgotten the signature of your own mana, so when it came in contact with my mana, it immediately assimilated and copied it. In other words, the mana you produce now is the same as mine: no natural affinity for anything, but adaptable to any element with training."

His brows furrowed in contemplation, his eyes unfocused for a moment. "Could you tell me how that works? I might as well take advantage of this."

A grin stretched on my face. "I was going to do that from the beginning, you know? What do you want me to teach you first? My main abilities are in fire, ice, darkness, and order. I've dabbled into wind, electricity, and healing too if you'd like."

A blink. "That…" Another blink. "That is a lot of magic. I might have to think about- wait. What did you say about darkness?" He asked, inching back a bit.

My face dropped into a deadpan. "Didn't I tell you just yesterday that I would defend you guys? Why the sudden fear?"

Sora flinched at my words. He looked down, as if he'd been chastised by his parents. "You're right, just… most dragons that have anything to do with darkness aren't really trustworthy."

I started counting off my fingers. "A few things are wrong in that statement: first, darkness itself isn't evil, it's just a tool like any other kind of magic. Second, I'm not really a dragon: I'm a demonic drake. Similar, but at the same time different. Plus-" I lifted my hand, so he could see the scales on it "-black scales. What could they possibly mean, I wonder?"

"…Sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't want your apologies; I just want you to keep this in mind. Look at it this way: don't judge people based only on what they _can_ do, but also on what they _want_ to do. I could have very well bid my time and razed all of Avalar back when I started travelling, but what did I _want_ to do? I wanted to go around, meet people, just have some fun mostly… and grow stronger, sure, but I was mainly tired of being cooped up."

I finally realized how much I'd been talking. "But anyway, let's drop this for now. Any ideas on what you want to get started on?"

"I think I will need to think about it a bit."

I shrugged, and returned to my book.

**-5 REP with Sora for making him feel bad**

**+6 REP with Sora for still agreeing to help him**

"…_I don't need your opinion."_

**Yeah I'm late, whatever. I'm not giving up, but I just had so many plot bunnies in my head that they just wouldn't stop! I needed to write them down. Now I have a document with over 13K words that I wrote in just a few days' worth of time. There were some other documents, but after 500 words or so I grew bored of those and scrapped them.**

**Do tell me if you want me to post that thing I wrote. I'd probably cut it in slices, but it might be nice as a backup when I'm missing for a while…**

**Whatever, enough about this! Onto the reviews!**

**Spyro fanboy: "Nope, not this time mate! Gonna have to wait even more! Sit tight and be patient, please!"**

**Ethhar: "I ran some math, and when talking about raw physical he can easily level a building with a few punches. If we put magic in here, depending on the context, he could give some trouble to beings like Superman or All Might. These two would be somewhere around Lanoor's level, so… Yeah, he has a **_**LONG**_** way to go. Thank you for the recipes… I kinda have a whole chart here in my folder with the other notes, though… I'm not telling you to stop, just… kinda know them at this point, you know? P.S: Perditio will be great to see, I'm telling you right now."**

**BoinkChonkIII: "Yeah, they will. Going to take a bit, though. Level… Well, lower than the Lanoor fella we saw today, though he's way above the number you gave. Plenty strong, I'd say. Also, atomizing? That's something I wasn't aware of. Great! That gives me a better idea of how to translate it into the game if it happens… Mate, you just gave me some fantastic ideas."**

**Justsomeguy16: "Glad to have you back! Yeah, shit goes down **_**fast**_** over here now. Anyway, the passive… not quite in the way you'd expect, but yeah, there will be something like that. But remember Daniel is demonic, so… expect some things to change soon. For the power scaling though, I have some guidelines for levels. Worlds with supernatural beings like Bleach can be dangerous to Daniel even at level 1000, but I'll let you in on a little secret: there's one world in particular I'm thinking of sending him to: no matter the level he reaches, he won't be ready for the level of absolute OP present there."**

**HardlightArtemis: "Oh, a new follower! Hello there! Yeah, he'll be in for some trouble. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' and all that… well, he's dealing with Hell right now. Let's see him get out of that one."**

**And that's all for this chapter, folks! As always, remember to leave a review to stoke my writing spirit, follow, and favorite!**

**-Xeno out!**

**P.S. if you like Gamer stories (of course you do, why would you be here otherwise), the other story I wrote is also one. Let me know you want me to post it.**


	14. 2-4 Planning the future

**-Day 27 (Thursday), Daniel's P.O.V.-**

I intently observed the droplets of water rushing over my skin, dripping down, and slipping in the shower's drain. Slowly, mana seeped out of my body and tried to get a grip on the water.

**Your affinity with the element [Aqua] is not high enough**

_"__My shortcomings seem to be a reoccurring theme lately, huh?"_ I thought and I scrubbed my short horns carefully. _"These things are cool, but also a bit of a bother. I might've been better off without them."_

The horns were a new addition to the roster of my physical changes, brought in by the 'perk' I gained for reaching level 300.

**Draconic ascendance**

**-Your body is maturing, growing into a proper dragon**

**-Remaining time: 160:12:11**

I still had around a week until the process was complete. I wasn't sure what would happen _then_, but in one week a lot could change. Hopefully it would be worth it.

A few minutes later, I left the shower and dried myself with a quick application of **Ignocorpus**. Sooner or later I would need to increase my arsenal even more, but for now I was happy with my spells and skills.

While I was drying my wings, my eyes landed on a mark on my shoulder.

**-A few hours earlier…-**

After the third Gashadokuro got annihilated, I waited for the next boss. I was wondering what it would be: I wasn't too knowledgeable about ghost-type enemies, in all honesty.

I felt a chill go down my spine, and my instincts screamed at me to get out of the way. Just as I dodged, aided by a burst of wind behind me, an extremely sharp blade sliced through the air.

A chill ran down my spine as my attacker became known. It was another reaper, and this one looked _way_ more powerful than the last one I'd met.

**Grim Reaper - True harbringer of death (+75% STR, AGI, MAG, HP/MP*10)**

**LV: 450**

**HP: 8.500 [85.000/85.000]**

**MP: 25.500 [255.000/255.000]**

**STR: 400 (700)**

**VIT: 300**

**AGI: 550 (962)**

**DEX: 500**

**MAG: 470 (822)**

**LUK: 30**

**Phys protection: 0**

**Magic protection: 150**

**Resist Ice**

**Null Physical**

**Repel Dark, Death**

I was fucked. I was so, utterly, _fucked._

And like the last time I had the displeasure to fight it, the screed spazzed out.

**You have made good progress lately, but let us see just how well you will fare now. Go forth without mercy, little demon; my reapers have none to spare.**

With that little 'pep talk' from Thanatos over with, I prepared myself for the fight. The reaper immediately lunged with a speed far higher than what I could follow along, and it was only a mixture of luck and knee-jerk reaction that saved me from the scythe again.

I launched myself as far away as I could, and began layering spells all over me. **Power Burst *10**, **Overdrive *10**, **Armor of Agathys**, **Defense Boost**. The increase in power was astronomical, my physical stats shooting well over 1200.

The reaper must've felt the change, as it hesitated in its approach for a moment. I gave a fierce grin, more determined than ever.

"Let's dance."

A blast of air erupted as I moved. Sure, it was immune to physical attacks, but what about fire-empowered punches?

My forearms, hands, shins, and feet became covered in black flames, leaving behind a trail of scorched soil. I jumped up, and delivered a fierce axe kick down at the reaper. Instead of its head, my heel struck a wall of liquid shadow coming up from the ground with a mighty bang. I used the momentum to jump back.

The force behind my hit was enough to drain over 30.000 Mp from it in order to keep it protected.

_"__Great, just gotta keep going for another six or so hits."_

My Mp wasn't even draining in the slightest, so I just let myself go on a rampage. The reaper dodged, ducked, and deflected most of my hits, and those it couldn't get away from it had to use its 'shadow wall' to block.

Soon, I had depleted most of its Mp, so I decided to pull out a technique I'd given some thought before.

"Black Tiger Claws!" I yelled, excitedly. The flames on my arms converged all in my hands, specifically my claws, lengthening them. I raked my claws all over my enemy's body, my arms nothing more than black flashes.

Just as its Hp got close to 50K, it disappeared. My confusion was replaced by a sting of pain from my back.

**-1.040 Hp!**

I turned around, and caught the reaper straight in the face.

It flew back a bit, and stabilized in midair.

_"__Oh, right. Spirit. It flies."_

The reaper pointed at me, and several tendrils made of shadow erupted from its sleeve. They all came at me from different directions. I had no choice but to get hit a bit to get out of the way.

**-10.830 Hp!**

That hurt. A lot.

I was pissed.

I ran at it, and ran as much mana in my body as I feasibly could without exploding. The sonic boom made by my movements threw off my enemy enough that I could get close enough. I grabbed its bony neck, and help it up. With a primal roar, I slammed my fist into its face.

The head flew off, rendered dust by the absolute power of 50.000 Mp all used for one thing: **Attack Boost** ***250**

**Reaper Lv: 450 killed!**

**You gained: 1.350.000 Xp and 9.000 Gp!**

**You leveled up! (311 – 318) You gained 35 Stat points and 14 Upgrade points!**

I grinned. While my whole body ached because of the excessive amount of mana I'd used in one go, I was definitely happy about the boosts I gained.

My grin faltered when I remembered who was supposed to appear now. And appear he did, coming out of a portal made of shadows.

"**S̵͉̰͎̗̄̐̀̓̈́p̶̰͘l̴̼͍͓̻͂̓̚͝͝e̸̛͇̔̃͠n̷̛̹̏̾̍d̷̢̺͗̅̇̚ĩ̶̢̞̈́ͅd̵̰͖̗́̄̀̈́̕!̴̛̠́̆ ̴̺͚̭̍͋̎͊ͅĂ̵̲͇̙͖̞b̸̨̝̼͛ŝ̵͇͍̙͕̊̔o̷̠̬̺̜͛́̃̉̍l̵̛̪̣̲̠̂͋̍̚ȗ̶͚̝͌t̶̛̞̳̔̐̄̏ͅȅ̷͍̺͓l̶̯̎͛͛͝ͅÿ̸͖͆ ̸̭͇͗́̌͝s̴̪͇͑̌͝p̴̤̀l̵̛̲̞͕̼̻̀̇͗e̴̛̼̽̑͒̈́n̷͍̗̎̇d̵̠̖̋̏͐ḭ̸̭̤͈̺̄̍̈́̂d̴̡̬̞̗͔͐̂!̷͍͔͎̩͋͘ ̴̨̙̫͎̀Ê̶̩̪͔̂x̵̲̎̄̎͌̈a̴̻͖̩̦̓̏͌͝͝c̸̢̼̫̙̘̄́̎͆t̵̰̽͘l̷͉̣̫̝̀̂͐͘ͅy̸̧̮̠͒̾̔̓͘ ̸̬̪͕̺̍͌͝͠w̸̩̞͉̹̆͂̿́͜͠h̶̢̙̥̋̒͗a̸̘̔̏̈́͝ṫ̴̛͎ ̵̲̖̠̀̊̂̕I̵̙͓̎̊̒ ̷̮͍͈̘̎ͅw̶̜͚͚̄̅̇̏̽a̶̟͕̯̻̜̎̾̅s̸̜̪̭̘͘ ̶͙̪̓h̸̥͍̤̩̋ͅo̷̢͓̝̱̘͆͆̎̓p̶͈͓̱̍͗̾̐i̵͚͛͆̎̉̉n̵̢̔̊̐̾̃g̷̭̈́͊͝ ̴̲͍͐f̸͈̟͙̍͋̕o̴̘̲̞̍͂̀̍̽r̸̭̦͈̞̦̐̋̾!̷̜̀**" He clapped.

I was having a harder time than before to understand what he was saying, but I assumed that he deemed me 'worthy to not hold back', or something dumb like that.

"**Y̴̨̮̪̞͂ͅo̶̤̍͒̔̉̄ͅù̴̫̠̘̺͌̔̏͜͝ ̵͙̀a̸͚͉͠r̷̪̼̽͊̕e̷̢̺͈̥͠ ̵̼̪̖̤̫̋̍̌t̷̛͓͈̣̼̩̂̽̑̅r̴̬̙̺̈́͗u̵̧̞̖͇̫̎̆͌̓͘͠l̶̼̩̮̰̹̫̓̃ý̵̛͕̖͘ ̵͙̮̓̋̔̾s̸͖̦͓̻͙̑͗̈́̅̇̚ó̵̭͙̲̒̽̊m̵̨̃͐e̵̦̰͙̱͑̀t̷̜̣̓͝ḥ̷̡̆͗͠i̶̡̡̖͙̿̇n̵̻̫͉̙̓̽̿͆̍g̶̞͔͚̦͊̑ͅ ̶̡̨͓̠̭̼̆̉̽̌ă̶̢̳̳͕̄̌̋m̵̗̣̪͇͕͒͂a̸̧͈̽͌̊͒̔̒z̸̙͈͐̍͂̒̈̌ĩ̴̫̭͍̬͚̏̔̕͝n̴͉̖̈́͌͜g̶̢̨̥͉͚̬̈́̿͗͑ ̴͎̒̌̆̎̔c̴̻̪͌̽͂h̷̞̹̖̊͐́̽̌͝í̸͇̯͇̖̼̺l̷̢̺̖̫͒̀d̸͍̞̺͐͐͒͆̽̄ͅ.̷̨͖̞̎̅̒͠͝ ̴̮͇̟̍E̵͖̜̾͜v̸̨̰̤̤̠̗̅̓̓̈́e̶̡͂n̷͙̚ ̶̮́̇͑̑͜ẁ̵̲̱ỉ̷͍͉̽̈́͐͜͠t̷͍̃ḥ̵̥̒̐̈́̓͘o̷͓̖͇͍̥̿ů̸̟̩̜͈͇t̷͔̲͛̎̑̅̔ ̷̢͉̤̤͙͛Y̴̨̯̟̙͔̋̓g̵̢̠̭̹̃g̴̥̰̼̅̐͊d̶̛̰͍͕̘̍̇r̵͕̪̈́̋̍̿̈́͘a̵̬͓͇̘̔͐̏́s̵̼̥̃̒́i̷̗̠͊̈́̈l̵͚̒̑'̶͍͎̟͗͑s̴͉̥͓̏̄ ̸̫̮̗͕̀̓h̵̩̯̾͜e̸̗̻̣̎͊́͋͝ḷ̸̛̛͖̩͙̲̞̒̈̕͝p̶̘̟̺͈͚̦̽̀͛͝,̷̣͉͉̙̩͑̿ ̸̯̺̝̞̒͒̿͗ͅI̸̥̖͎̦͚̝̽̂̐͠͝ ̶̮͗̈́̓̂͒̅a̴̢̟̠͌̌͆̅m̶̘̞̈́ ̶̤̪̟͇͎̦̓̆̊̊̇͝s̶͍̋̑u̴̘̣͙̅̊̀̈́̚͜͝ͅř̵͍e̶̥̋̑͑̏̋̚ ̴̠̤̠͇̓̊́͊͗͜y̸̦̰͙̻̘̳̆̏̇͒̐ọ̶̧̳͇̬̯́͊̒͘͝ụ̴͖͙̯̇̈́̎̕͠ ̶̢̨̪̹̲̭̂̅̍̕ẅ̴̩̙̰̞́̿o̴͇͖̼̫̓̀̀ū̵̲̻̮̘̗́͒̊ḽ̸̗̪̩͗͛͌̌͘͜ḑ̵̖̪̥̞̋̆͐͗ ̸͕̱͔͕͒͂͂͌ĥ̶̟͚̻̰͎͚̄̄a̵̯̞͎͛́͜v̶͎̝͑̈́̀è̵̜̦̲͇͚̻̈́ ̵̭̝̤̜̆͐́͜ͅg̴̭̬̞̍̄͒̽͒͘ṛ̵͇͎̆͗͌̏͗́ö̵̡̩̝̗͇̭ẉ̷̧̰͕̟͊͝n̵̛̳̯̓̾͐͝ ̸͕̦̭̈́̂̇̾̕j̸̩͓̥̤̓̃́́̕u̷̯͙͈̼͛̑s̷̢̹̝̤̥͍̊͗̾͒̕͝t̶͙͕̲̘͚̄͌͌̔͜ ̸͈̒̀ä̸̹͉͙́̂̄̃͑͘š̵̜̈͋̈̒ ̷̙̦̭̮͈̘͆̅p̴͙̰̖͚̲̟͋̉̂͋o̸̰̱̍̈́̓̆̏w̸̡̘̰̜͈̟̍͊̐͊ê̵͖̩r̷̘̜̙̳̹̭̈́̔̈́͐̚f̵̥̹̱̈́̾̇͗͒ű̴̢͎̭̩̍̓͂̒ĺ̶̠̻͂͛̄͝ ̵̟͕͔̭̼̽͛̕ğ̴͇ͅi̶̧̠̮̠͋̽̔͋͛̕v̷̠̭̎̇̅͝e̸͂̈̓͊ͅn̴͉͇̗̟̓̾̈́̾̿͜ ̵̠̩͕͌̆̿̈̌͝e̸̫͕͍͔̽̅͜n̸̼͇̠͗͗̏́̕o̶̢̓̏̅͑͠͠u̶̧̳̦̹̝̎̉͑̄̏͠g̵̢͓̀h̶̙̩̐͋̑͛̉ ̴̢̤͎̮̊̋̾̊͘t̸̳̤̖̱͙͔͒͂i̴͕̹̅̍͛̋̓̑ḿ̵̢̭̹̖͙̰̃͆̀e̸̞̝̥̙̋̌̓.̵̛̩̪̮̬͉͑̌͋**"

My ears were starting to hurt.

"**F̴͈̅̂͊̔͝ơ̵̢͖̩̺̘͐̈́̇͘r̴͔̤̪̣̲͂ ̴̡̫̥͔̭̜̅̎͐̀̔̚i̷̠͖͎̩̙͆̏ͅm̶̛͈͓̆̍̊̀p̸͙̽̽̕̕r̶̤̙̃̀̓ë̴̝͇̮̄͘͝ṣ̴̜͆ş̴̛̭̞́́i̶̩̰̗͋̈̂̋̈́̓n̸̢̺̜͋̈́͂g̷̢̼̞̱̠̉̀̀͘͜ ̶̞̞͕̥͆́̈͐̀͠m̶̰̞̙̜̚ë̸̳̐͗̓͘͝ ̸̗͔̎͆̆̿̍̚y̸͖͍͈̩̕̕e̴̛̗̰͕̮̗͂̿͘̚t̴͍̮̜̝̽̀ ̸̡̻̮̺̐̽͌͝ą̷̧̰͎̜̻̇̉g̸̙̜̊̒͑͊͘͝a̴͓̭͈͌̆͋͒̎ị̵̡̬̯̩͛̃̏͠n̴̢̬͚͉͕̊̔͊̚͘͜,̶̺͓̜͋̄̆̇͠ ̴̳̬̺̳͐̒͝ͅI̸̡̠̙̮̝͈̓ ̵̱̞̰̹̞̍ś̸̡̳͚̌̃̌̈́͝h̷̡̠̄̌͊ǎ̷͙̳͕̪͜l̸̡͓͓̊͑͛̅͜ļ̴̣̫̺͚̤̈́̓̑̎̚͘ ̵̡͋̉͜͝o̸̧̦̗̳͕̻̎̃̌f̷̪̬̟͆̅̈́̌̕̕͜f̸͚̫̞̳̓̽̅̂ͅe̵̡̘͎͓̗͊̈̉̓̒͜r̴̡̻̣̗͉͘ ̷̨͎̪̖̹̞́t̷̨̼̫̰̳̔ḩ̶͇̪͎̘̀͐͝e̵̮̖̯͐̔͌̓̏ḛ̴̼͍͂͒̇ ̴̩͙̺̥̿a̶̮͖̙̩͍̒͛͝ ̷͈̯̬̖̖̊͑̿̋̽̀ͅp̵̡̠̫͂͌̀͠ṙ̶̡̤̘̪͓͗̆͑̚i̴̢͎̠̲̗͆͗̍z̶̩͓͇̃́e̵̞͔̫̩̭̽͘ ̵̧͇̫̫͍̟͐͂̏̌̿͘o̵̡͕̬͍̿̈́f̷̡̗̪̜͎̯̾ ̴̢̦͒̚y̸̢͍͌ỏ̴̥̤̝̭̬͎̃̌͂ù̸̗̠̆̈̎̔͆r̷̨̼̜̹̹̫̾̋̐ ̸͚͖̜͑͛̎͊͗c̸͋̐̏̊͝ͅh̸̞̳̼͋̄͛o̵͚̪͐͗ì̶͍̲͐̒̎c̴̨͓̱̹̪̯͑͑̀̕e̷̪̬̘̬͕̩̓̍̍̇.̸̨̙̪̭͕̲̑̓̓̉̉"**

_"__A prize of my choice, huh… what would I want that I can't get from the Store? What could a god of death offer me that… oh."_

I looked up at Thanatos, not flinching even as I stared into the voids that were his eyes. "I want a chance to escape death. I know I will be defeated at some point, and I want to be able to return to life when that happens."

If Thanatos' shadowy face had eyebrows, I was sure that they would have rose quite a lot at my request.

"**A̵̖͂̏̇̐͝ ̵̺̜̓̒̏̏͊b̵͔̲̮̹̿̆͜o̵͍͇͊̈̋l̶̜̘̤̺͈͐̈́͌d̵̞͉̮̈́͆͜ ̴̤̀ř̶̢͚̩̗͖͆̃̈́̚͘ȩ̷̧͖̙̒q̶̦̤̌̅̽̈́͌͛u̷͕̟̅̈̓͌̋̆e̴̢̼͑̏̐͒̓̇͜s̷̢̟̜̖͖̠͌̾t̸̛̪̼̻̖̼͂.̴̛̦͈̋̄́̄**" He stated. "**B̵͇͛̔ŭ̶̹͉̪̘ť̴͜ ̷̡̜͓̺͌̀ȏ̵̦̟͚͇̼̣͆͆͆n̵̝͍͎̝̈̔̎e̷̡̲̮̪̝͐̂ ̸͖̭̞̜̖̅ṭ̷͍̭́̒̀̈͝ḧ̸͕̺̹͓͚̼̄̋̏̀a̷̗̳̱̤̎t̸̘̒͛͋͋ ̵̟̰̜̋͆͂͘I̸̜̳̟̠̎ ̶̛͇́ȧ̴̡̘̻m̷̜͚̮͕͛̑̌̌ ̶̤͚̈́̌̃̂̉̊w̴͇̜̝͖̲̘͐̿̂i̸̮̖̼͍͚͚̍̔l̵͎͕͚̫͎̤͗̎l̷͎̞̟̙̩̥̏̉̈̌͝i̶̧̡̮̟͓̜̅͗͂̂n̷̡̟̺̠̤̍̔g̶̢̺̱͙͈̓̾ ̶̟̺͙͉̍̿̿͆͝t̴͙͚͈͛̑̋o̷̡̥͆̾͐ ̶̨̱͈̙̓̌̾͆̕͝à̵̙͉̅̈́̓͜͜͝c̸͙͚̿̄̃͆̕̕ͅc̴̟̲̗͇͈̓̌̀͗͗e̵͉̙̼̖̤͊̾̏̕p̷͔̓̀̌̈́t̷̬̉͛̓ ̷̙͕̒͋n̷͉̰͚̰͍̓̀ͅỏ̷͎̘̩͚͎͗̄ṇ̵̛̖̐ȩ̶͔̜̳̻͇͗̈́͋t̶̛̰͍̦̋́h̷̨͈̪̟̯̟̓̇̈́̈́ẻ̴̝͎̮̱̉͝͠l̸̙̘̮͍̲͗̉̾ͅe̸̱͚̤̊̔̄ş̴̬̑̀͛̂̊͝s̷̱̟̀̀͗̃͒̅.̵̡̩̗̼̓̃̌̕ͅ"** He came closer, and touched my bare shoulder.

I was regretting going without a shirt for so long, what with my wings tearing through them and whatnot, and I regretted it even more when my shoulder started burning.

After a few seconds, Thanatos lifted his finger from me, and I almost fell to the ground.

"**I̷̡̭͔̗̤̮͊̂̊ţ̴̩͈̞̅ ̶͎͑̀́͝ī̴̬̥̽š̷̰͖̮̼̹̰̍́̈ ̷̖͚̝̲̲̈̇̒d̴̡̯̹͋õ̷̰͇̘͙n̸̛̮͉͍̭̍̚ȅ̷̯͐͑̉.̵̢̱̣̮͔̅ ̸̧̩̖̥͍̄̒̊S̶͓̖̟̫̲͉̀̉h̵̛̜̝̟͆̾̒͜o̵̢̘͕̓ͅù̸̠͌̓̋͝͝l̷̙̳̥͉̾͑͆́̃̾͜ḏ̶̗̘̞̭̊͑͊ ̵̖̗̘̲͓̉̋̉̌̽̚͜y̷̢̦̺̰̠̝̌o̷̺̳͌́u̵̩̰̓̌ ̸̤̹̫̏͑̓̈́͜ȩ̴̗̼̗͒ͅv̷͔̗̖̟̫̙̍̄͑̅̍̚e̸̫̲͇̽͒̈́̚ŗ̴̧̧̦̀͘ ̶̦̎́̿f̷̢̹̺̮͒́͜a̶̫͐͒l̵̨̞̉̃̊̐ļ̵̡̠͓͓̎ ̸͕̾̉i̶̫͔͓͚͍̓̆̐͋̃͊ǹ̵̯̫̲̘͗ ̸̧̗̞̏̅̍͐̍̐͜b̸͈̉͑̚͝a̷͚̤̺̹̿̇t̸̖̫͐ẗ̶̜̪̣́̀̆l̷̘̺͓̬͗e̵̦̝̅̅̈́,̴̠̱̣͍̝̮̎̍͘͝ ̴̢̡̢̫̯̜̃͆̒̐̃̚t̷͎́͌͌͝h̸͙̹͖́̈o̴̱̰͖̭̓ư̴̘̼͍̭ ̵̨̨͖͍̮͈͂̽͝s̶̰̱̓̀̂͛̕͝h̸̦̉̊̑̒̐͘a̴͔̻̰̰̦͙̐͑́͠l̸͕͈͌̏̍l̴̛̪̥̬̘̄́ ̶̟͊͊̽̉r̶͉̝̦̫̼̄̀͑͆ĩ̴͇͍͙͎͓s̵̝͎̖̯̀̈́͛̾̚̕ẽ̷͍̜̝͈͛̃̔̕ ̸̼͕̑͑̈́̕a̴̲̼̦̟͠ͅn̴̢̯̗̔ḙ̷̎̓͒͝w̵̡̩͔̖̖͆̈́̉̇͊̇.̸̺̠̱̻͂̌̔̿̽ͅ"** Thanatos moved away, but said one last thing before entering his portal. "T̶̡͕̮̅̓͝**ḥ̷̚a̴̙̣̋̾͋t̷̩͎̾͆ ̷̳̒í̷̢̬̪s̷̫̝͂ ̵̪̫̾̚͠ͅt̴̹̱̽̾h̵̭͔͛̿̀ę̴̼̇͒ ̷̠̓͋̎ǒ̷̜̓n̸̟̪͍͊̾̓l̵͈̦̉y̶͕̹̓ ̵̟̋e̵͔̋x̸̮̄t̴͇̆͛r̵͖̿̔͋a̵̠̹͇͑͛͠ ̸̢̠̜̍͐̂c̶͉̣̩͌̆̚h̴̻̹̮͛ą̸̝͕͂͋ň̸̞͕͍̾c̶̦̰̿ͅẽ̴̢̻̝̈́ ̶̠̜͝Ḭ̶̰̮́̍̉ ̸̗̂͜m̶̄ͅͅa̷̬̗̋̍͋y̷̆͒͑͜ ̴͔͕̠́g̵͉̣̗͋͝ĩ̵͇̟v̴̯͎̀͌͛ͅe̴͕̋ ̶̡͎̂y̷͈̲͓̾ö̸̧̙́û̶̬͝.̶̭̱̝̊͒̎ ̵̫̜̲͠Ǎ̵̡̹͖̄̎n̸̲͙̔y̵̟̑ ̶̜̔m̶̦͊͘o̵̓͒ͅr̴̙͆ę̶̈́̾̚ ̴̛͕͚̰̇w̴̠̞̪̑õ̴̢̘̀͠u̷͓̲̻͑l̶̝̝̱̈́͌̈́d̵̻͓̿͘͘ ̵̪̱͐̔t̴̼͚̃ȧ̵̭r̴̼̦̊̂͑n̴̡̤̓͂i̷͈͒s̸͉̺̊h̴̪̠̘̐̕͘ ̵̩̩̽̃͑y̴͔̪̘͊̉̋ō̷̧̻̐u̷̇̄͋ͅṟ̸̝̂̔ ̴̧̎͌̇s̷̙͕̞̃̕ȍ̵̟̈́u̴͕̜̳͆̕l̷̩̈͝ ̴͖̥͉̈́̌̍t̴͈̀͌̽o̶͖̯͒̏̂o̷͈̘̅̓ ̴̰̕m̶͕̎͊ů̶̺c̴̭̓̈́͠h̸̻̹͐̇.̵̧̅̽̀ ̶̰͇̞̊̑M̸͚͙̍̅̓͜a̷̹͗k̶̡̋͜͠e̸̞̰͌ ̵͔̌͝g̸̳͍͌̂o̵̰̺̜͊ô̵̗d̷̞̗͍̓͘ ̶̙̆́̽ù̵̼̈́̂s̴̏̿͜ȩ̷̏ ̵̫̩͖̀o̵̩̯̿̇̈́f̴̞̬̪̆̆ ̵͕͕̝̈̾į̵͙̉̽t̵̯͖̞͗͆̓.̷̟̙͗͛̏"**

Thanatos disappeared, and I fell unconscious.

After waking up, I met up with my clone and reabsorbed him. Then, I went to take a shower.

And that was how I'd gained another mark on my body. A casual **Observe** showed just what it was exactly.

**Death's mercy**

**-When your Hp reaches 0, you will regain full Hp and MP**

**-Can only be used once**

I was happy that it was there, certainly. After all, I didn't want to die just yet, and with the overpowered enemies that seemed to be coming my way, it seemed like a heavy possibility. It was good to have a contingency plan that didn't involve me becoming undead or anything along those lines.

The store, unfortunately, didn't have any shirts with wing-holes, so I'd have to find someone that could make them for me… or make them myself: it was a viable option. But for the moment, I was forced to wear only pants. Hopefully no one would ask questions about the mark.

Just as I returned to the main room, the door opened revealing Meidi. She calmly hung her jacket near the door, and took a seat at the table. She gestured for me to join her, and so I did.

Meidi kept quiet, her fingers interlocked and eyes unfocused. I waited for her to begin.

"I don't want to do this… I promised over a century ago that I'd cut off all ties with the Overlord, and by extension all that wanted to become one…" She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "But my daughter believes in you. I have no idea what you've done to warrant that trust, but I'll believe in her. I'd suggest being grateful."

I nodded.

"Good. Here's what I can tell you: the aspiring overlords are all much stronger than you, except for two of them. If you want a chance to defeat them, you can't go about this alone: you will need help. There are a handful of demons still loyal to Machrosias in the castle, and if you're really related to him like you said, then they might help you." She frowned. "You may have to prove yourself to some of them."

Another nod from me. "Do you have any names for me?"

"A few." She started counting on her fingers. "There's Estoma, he used to be Machrosias' right-hand man. I heard that he moved somewhere east a while ago. There's also Aiwa, though after Machrosias died barely anyone heard of him. He returns every few months or so the check the situation before flying off beyond the mountains. If you can find him, he would be invaluable. The last one…" She grimaced. "…will be a problem, from what you've told me."

I blinked, confused. Who would that be?

"That last one… is Lanoor. He used to be Machrosias' general."

…

_"…__fuck."_

I let the others have lunch on their own, and instead tried to come up with a plan to find my possible allies. Lanoor was probably a no-go as it was, but I would try convincing him. If that wouldn't work, I was confident enough in my ability to kill him if it came to it: my clones back then were weak, but I? Yeah, he would bite the dust.

My best move for the moment was heading east and try to find this 'Estoma' fellow. Maybe he'd be willing to help me out if I worded my request correctly. Aiwa… would be an issue. I couldn't count on finding him, as he was only available every couple of months. I didn't have the time to wait for him.

Who else could help me? Pyra and Sora? No, I wasn't going to pit them against demons for my gain.

My choices seemed to return to one skill: goleomancy.

As I had just reached over level 300, I gained one more spot in my party: what better way to use it than to add a new teammate?

If I wanted to do things well, I needed to get better at Goleomancy, though. My rank there was still Initiate.

_"__Ten to Golems and Armor… twenty-five to Golems, and another ten to Tools. That's all of them."_

With my **Golems** skill ate Expert rank, I was finally ready to get cracking. Since I could use Rare materials to make my golem, I purchased some special materials: Tungsten for the main structure and as protection for the inner vis channels, a graphene core for the joints to provide flexibility, and the rest of the body was an alloy of steel and raw Motus vis to allow speed in spite of the extreme weight.

…the Store was definitely helpful with that long endeavor, but after several hours of painstaking labor, I'd managed!

**Goliath – Multi-metal golem [+100 STR, +150 VIT, +30 DEX, +20 AGI, +200 Phys protection, +20 Magic protection]**

**Race: Golem (+1 VIT per level)**

**Lv: 53 (0/21.200 Xp)**

**Hp: 6.150/6.150**

**Mp: 150/150**

**STR: 50 [150]**

**VIT: 50 (103) [253]**

**AGI: 10 [30]**

**DEX: 15 [45]**

**MAG: 15**

**LUK: 5**

**Stat points: 125**

**Physical protection: 200**

**Magic protection: 20**

**Affinities:**

**-Metallum (Master)**

**-Terra (Expert)**

**-Alienis (Acolyte)**

**-Motus (Initiate)**

I may have forgotten to mention that I gave it also an Argent Cluster. Yeah, I totally forgot. Well, there it is! In other news, this golem was ready to kick ass right from the get-go! I just needed to fix its speed a bit: I quickly used all the points to increase its AGI and DEX to 75 each, which boosted came up to 95 and 105 each. Not the best, but I could work with that.

While I sent my secondary body and Goliath in the Lesser Golem dungeon to grind his Xp up a bit, I pulled out my phone. It _had_ been a while since I'd spoken to my family.

After a couple of rings, the phone picked up.

"Daniel? Thank goodness you actually called this time. We were starting to get worried, you know!"

"Eh, sorry about that mom. We've been on the move a lot, so I didn't have much time to just sit down and talk."

"Really? What changed then? How has hell been treating you?"

"Well…" I ticked off my encounters on one hand. "…found a burning city and beat up the responsible, along with his accomplice. Got a new follower from that: one Kellea girl. Rather nice, though I find myself a bit distrustful of succubi. After that-"

"Oh, so you finally found yourself a girlfriend?" My mother interrupted. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie! It only took you almost seventeen years and becoming a demon to get one!"

I was relatively certain that some grass wilted from my stare. "No. She's not my girlfriend. We've known each other for just a few days, anyway."

"I know that, shrimp. I was just messing with you a bit!"

Palm, meet face.

"Mooooom, how many times did I tell you to stop calling me that?"

"Nonsense! I haven't had a chance to mess with you for seven years, now you'll make up for it!"

"Ugh… Yes ma'am. Can I go on with my story, please?"

"Uh-uh. Sure."

"_Thank you_. Now, then. After meeting Kellea, we planned to reach the Overlord's castle, to see if any of Machrosias' old servants were around, and could help us… well, mainly me but still. Anyway, I sent some clones to scout in front, and one of them ran into a small town. In that town, my clone met some ghost knight who was looking for me to kill me. He apparently works for some guy called Veryon. Long story short, he was way stronger than my clone and I had to use a last-ditch kamikaze move to escape… Now that I think about it, with the amount of magic I pumped into that, I'm pretty sure a considerable chunk of that city got frozen.

"Well, seeing as that way led to pain, we had to choose another path. Kellea decided to bring us to a small town called Leedri. Her mother Meidi lives here, so she's letting us stay here for the moment. The plan now would be to find one 'Estoma' guy, who used to work closely with Machrosias. With some work, I should be able to get him on my side, and with his support I should be able to beat the others. At least two, maybe three of them I can beat without too much of a hassle, but the others would be an issue. That's why I made a new golem, and my secondary body is taking care of levelling it up as we speak."

My mother didn't say anything for a moment, mulling over all that I'd told her.

"So… how close are you to coming back home?"

"I honestly don't know, but with a stable place to stay for the moment I'll be able to train way better than before. That'll let me knock the others off their high horses much easier. So, I'd say another week or two. Don't take my words as an absolute truth, though. I may have complications along the way… though I hope not."

"Let's hope so. To be honest, I'd normally tell you to just give up on this dangerous plan and just come home, but… it's not really a choice now, is it?"

I shook my head, even if she couldn't see it. "No. I've gone too far now to give up. Just you wait, and I'll see you all very soon. I promise."

I heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "Be careful. Please."

"Always, mom. Love y'all."

With that call over, I went to do just what I'd chosen: train until my muscles got destroyed and then do it all over again. Yay.

**-Several hours later…-**

"Yo, wassup homie? We're back- JESUS ALMIGHTY WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Hey… help?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

My secondary body quickly kneeled next to me and started to pull my arms. Goliath quickly followed, pulling me from the other side. Once they'd pulled me out of the ground, my clone poked me in the face a bit.

"Ok, what did ya do this time?"

I blinked. "So, you know how it gets hard to control my strength after an intense training session?"

He – well, I – nodded.

"Well, I wanted to try training with my full power. So, I tried instead to push myself down with some Motus."

My clone's brow furrowed. "Alright, I'm following. Nothing too weird here."

I grimaced. "Well… 20 kilos of pressure weren't enough, so I overcharged the spell… I overdid it a bit. But still, it was an impressive result!"

I wasn't wrong in saying that, considering that I'd gained 11 STR, 13 VIT, 9 AGI, and 8 DEX from that ordeal.

My clone pointed to the destroyed ID around us. "Was it worth it? I can tell from a mile away that your bones must've broken an insane amount of times!"

"…they did, yeah."

My clone faceplamed. The last thing I heard him say before he fused back into me was "Am I that dumb? Really?"

While my clone wasn't here, I answered nonetheless.

"Yeah, I probably am."

After a few minutes to let my Hp recover, I sat up to look at my results.

**Name: Daniel Samuels**

**Race: Demonic Drake (+2 to all stats except LUK every level)**

**GP: 1.190.000**

**HP: [45.380/81.125] [+6.450/min]**

**MP: [31.000/103.500] [+13.800/min]**

**STR: 513 [769]**

**VIT: 515 [772]**

**AGI: 511 [766]**

**DEX: 510 [765]**

**MAG: 662 [993]**

**LUK: 255**

**Stat points: 1.444**

**Upgrade points: 47**

**[STR 500] – Pierce**

**-Enemies who Null or Reflect physical attacks now can only resist your hits**

**[VIT 500] – Life gift**

**-You can imbue your HP into another person, or an item, and reabsorb that HP as you see fit**

**[AGI 500] – Imperceptible**

**-Your speed is such that no being can see your movements, if they are shorter than half a second**

**[DEX 500] – Perfect aim**

**-Your eyesight is so fine, and your coordination is so perfect that it becomes impossible for you to miss a ranged attack**

I hadn't even realized I shot over 500 for all of my stats! Unbelievable!

I greatly appreciated the increase in power, though. And that 'perfect aim' perk… My eyes had never been so clear before! I felt like someone had pulled my eyes out of my sockets and replaced them with a falcon's!

Since I was curious, I went and checked on Goliath's progress.

**Lv: 190 (14.100/114.000 Xp)**

**Hp: 27.500/27.500**

**Mp: 2.440/2.440**

**STR: 195 [295]**

**VIT: 150 (340) [490]**

**AGI: 200 [220]**

**DEX: 200 [230]**

**MAG: 160**

**LUK: 50**

I blinked. Then I rubbed my eyes a bit, and re-read the window. Did my golem seriously gain almost 150 levels since it started grinding?! That was amazing!

…Sure, it didn't hold a candle to me, but it was strong enough to beat the crud out of most of my demons easily! If we'd kept it up, Goliath would reach level 300 very easily, and with that a peak of power that would be absolutely monstrous!

I shook my head. _"Don't get ahead of yourself, Daniel. There's still a lot of work to do. For now, though, I need a break."_

I put Goliath in my Inventory (which was a hassle, mind you. It's extremely heavy, even though I can easily lift a few tons), and went back inside to rest.

I lowered my book a bit.

Yep, she was staring.

"Need something?"

"What's your plan?" She murmured.

I blinked. "A bit more details, please?"

"To become Overlord. What's your plan?"

I lowered my book fully. Kellea… she wasn't looking good. Fingers trembling, red eyes… she must've been very stressed. For what reason, I cannot fathom. Still, she deserved an answer.

"First, I'll need to find Estoma. Having someone who personally knew Machrosias would do me a lot of good when I become overlord. Having Estoma with us will help when dealing with Lanoor, too. If we can't win him over, I'll have to eliminate him. After Lanoor, I will deal with Veryon: he seems like the most troublesome right now. After Veryon is done, I shouldn't have too much trouble defeating all the others."

She nodded carefully. "And… if you can't?"

"No, Kellea." I shook my head vehemently. "There's no if. I _will_ win. No matter what. I will grow stronger, and take what's rightfully mine. After all-" I'd got up during my tirade, and I placed my hand on her shoulder "-I got you back to your family, right? Trust me, I'll return to mine as well."

Her tired face lightened up a bit. "You're right. You'll get through this."

I settled down next to her. "Now that we have that cleared up, mind telling me what got you so stressed exactly? It's the first time I've seen you like this."

Kellea ran a hand through her hair, smoothening it out a bit. "…I was worried. You're going against all these strong demons… I can't even imagine how scary that would be for me." She looked down, unwilling to meet my eyes. "…You're much nicer than most demons. I- I don't think you deserve all of this."

A dry, humorless chuckle escaped my lips. "Maybe I really don't. Or maybe I do. Or maybe someone else did and I'm just stuck in their place. Who am I to tell?" I shrugged. "It is what it is, I'll just get through this as I have before: some preparation, and luck."

"…"

I took another good look at her. "I'll leave you alone. You need some sleep."

Before I could fully get up, she grabbed my wrist. I turned to her, curious. She seemed to be debating with herself whether she should speak or not.

"I… I want you to promise me something."

I kept quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"You said you grew up as a human, so you wouldn't know it, but slavery is common here."

My eyes widened. Sure, I should've expected it: we were talking about demons after all, but the way Kellea mentioned it pointed towards something worse.

"Normally it's just prinnies: souls of dead humans who have to work to atone for their sins, but… that's not all."

I had a feeling that I knew where she would end up.

"Some demons have taken to enslaving other demons… no one bats an eye, they just see it as the right of the strong to rule on the weak…" I caught a glimpse of a tear running down her face. "Please… please, make it stop."

More tears streamed down her face, with random hiccups coming from her.

I knelt down, and wrapped both my wings and my arms around her. I held her close, and let her cry until she couldn't anymore.

_"__Is that what happened? It would make some semblance of sense… separated from her mother years ago… the reaction Meidi had when seeing her… and now this? It all fits together too perfectly."_

I tightened my hold on Kellea a bit more. Seeing her like this… so vulnerable, sad, weak… "_Did I really this someone like her could betray me? She's too good for something like this. I don't even want to know the kind of stuff she went through."_

"Of course," I whispered. "I'll do it. No one else will have to suffer like that so long as I live."

Her sobs began anew, though I could barely see that she started smiling.

**+10 REP with Kellea for being a compassionate person**

_"__Hush you. Don't ruin it."_

After that little heart-to-heart, Kellea fell asleep on me. Must've been too wound up on stress. It was a quick affair of getting her to her room, thankfully.

Now, I found myself in a bit of a dilemma: I had about an hour before dinner (which I was planning to cook, as thanks to Meidi), and 47 Upgrade points. Now, I could either: get two more levels and increase **Ignis magic** to Master rank, and with that get some new spells; or still get two more levels and increase both **Tools** and **Armor** to Expert.

…Then again, who said I couldn't do both? I _was_ rather good at multitasking, after all.

As my clone left with Goliath, he shot me a look that said 'don't be an idiot'. Yeah, I'd probably end up disappointing myself.

After a bit over five minutes, I'd gained the two levels I needed. Quickly I upgraded **Ignis** to Master, and man was that an experience and a half! My knowledge of fire expanded rapidly, giving me an insight on the element that I could've never imagined before: compacting fire in ludicrous shapes, instilling part of my mind in my flames, end even giving me the knowledge on how to create small fires without mana!

…Well, regarding the last part: they were extremely weak, just good enough to light small flames, like candles, but it was still a great skill to have if I ever needed it! In addition, my new knowledge alluded to my affinity playing an important role on how strong my flames would be. For example, if I were to gain Master affinity, I would be able to cast low-level spells like **Agi** without even using mana!

Though, that was in the future.

For now, I settled down and tried to use my new knowledge to make some new spells.

**Boiling Blood (Acolyte, 50 Mp/sec)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-On contact, your blood deals 10 (+50) DMG/sec**

**Combust (Expert, 500 Mp)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-One item of your choice within 5 (+50) meters spontaneously combusts, dealing variable damage**

**Temperature Control (Novice, 5 Mp/sec)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-You can vary the temperature of any object you come in contact with**

**Blazing Geyser (Expert, 300 Mp/sec/m2)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-Fire erupts from underground, charring everything in its wake**

**-Deals 200(+50) DMG/m2**

**Maragidyne (Master, 100 Mp/enemy)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-A multi-cast, homing version of the Agidyne spell**

**-Deals 360(+50) DMG**

**Solar Lance (Master, 1.000 Mp)**

**-Attribute: Fire**

**-A destructive lance of fire, hot as the sun**

**-Pierces through targets**

**-Deals 650(+50) DMG**

**-Casting time: 5 seconds**

Along with the classical damaging spells, I went and made a more utility-based spell, just because. No one could tell me what I could and couldn't do, after all!

The **Solar Lance** would become my one-hit kill move, especially when combined with my black fire. The only downside was the casting time, as it was plenty of time for my enemies to reach me… my clones could take care of it. 1.000 Mp was literally nothing to me, to boot, so I could just overcharge it until I could one-hit-kill anything.

My clone had got me so much Xp, in fact, that I could afford to do both things I wanted _and_ increase my **Weapons** crafting to Expert rank. A great day, all in all.

I had gained a huge amount of Stat points, to be fair. I had over 1.600 just sitting around…

My hand inched towards my LUK stat again. I stopped myself. Would I really do it? Couldn't I keep those points for another time?

…

_"__To hell with it! I'll win through pure RNG!"_ I yelled in my head, as I rose my LUK stat to 400 in one fell swoop. _"I'll need to lay off the points for a long while after this, though."_

**Perk: [DICE] will be upgraded. Please choose two upgrades:**

**-Quality (+1 dice every roll)**

**-Quantity (Choose another day of the week: you can roll also on that day)**

I decided to choose both upgrades, that way I'd get the best of both worlds. Instead of today, though, I chose Friday: I already had Monday and Wednesday, might as well spread them out. I could wait until tomorrow morning, no problem.

After cooking dinner (a rather easy affair, considering that I had a clone who knew exactly what to do alongside me), and serving said dinner, I took a metaphorical step back to see what I'd accomplished. Not only just then, but in general.

I'd saved three young dragons from capture, and earned the trust of a small town.

I'd helped defend the town from a siege.

I'd accidentally killed Pyra's father, and to make it up to her I accepted to bring her with me.

I hurt Pyra.

I let her get captured.

I had to make her watch as I slaughtered my way through Derkein.

She watched as I beat up Ingemar… I wasn't too sorry about that one, admittedly. I had fun.

I pretty much dropkicked her and Sora in an ID, giving barely any assistance.

And as of late, I just hadn't given them any attention whatsoever.

Welp, there I went feeling bad. I'd vowed to protect the little dragoness, yet what did I do? Hurt her, show her how I killed and hurt others, forced her to fight without much forewarning, and now downright neglected her.

I pulled up my Reputation screen, my eyes locking onto one entry in particular.

**Pyra Sun: 55/100 (Big brother / Mentor)**

God, I felt like an asshole. I really wasn't suited to dealing with children, was I? And she wasn't even _that_ much younger than me: only thirteen against my almost seventeen years of life!

It was probably for the best that I helped them return home. They had no place amongst demons, it seemed.

**And that's a wrap, y'all! Are you surprised to hear from me again so soon? Well, so am I. The coronavirus is forcing me to stay stuck in my home for at least until the end of the month, so I have all the time in the world to write.**

**Plus, I've gotten hyped for one particular thing that will happen at some point in the story, and I really want to get there.**

**Oh, right! For those who want more of my Gamer works, go check out 'The multiversal assassin'. I'll update that story roughly every two chapters of this.**

**With that shameless plug done, onto the reviews.**

**Le Dregenbern: "Thanks for catching that! I've fixed it now."**

**zackman2k12: "You're welcome, and here's some more."**

**HardlightArtemis: "Welp, you asked for it. There it is."**

**Spyro fanboy (both reviews): "In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure myself. It just flowed better for me at that point. Probably, had I written that part another day I'd have made him a wyvern. I'm fickle like that. Btw, check out the new release: 'Adventures of an Overlord'! Now in all the cinemas of the world!"**

**Justsomeguy16: "I hope I'm doing this 'character complexity' thing right. My process of writing is mainly 'wing it', so I may very easily write something great one moment and a hot mess the next. And as for game worlds… Yeah. Absolutely. There's a few worlds in particular that I am extremely excited to reach… I'd probably make them last a whole ark on their own. Speaking of Fallout, I only played the third… it doesn't quite fit in my opinion. Maybe I'll change my mind, who knows."**

**And that's all we have this time! I'll see you beautiful sons of guns again next time!**

**You crazy mother- Oh wait, wrong outro. Xeno out!**


	15. 2-5 Introduction to the ancient

**-Day 28 (Friday), Daniel's P.O.V.-**

I didn't have the time to teach Goliath any magic, which was a bummer, but I could at least leave my secondary body with it. Between the two of them, they would be able to keep everyone safe. I, on the other hand, would travel at maximum speed to find Estoma, and hopefully convince him to join my side.

Now, you might be wondering: 'can't you just get stronger and wreck anyone?'

Yeah, I could. But no one would really recognize me for who I am: the true heir to the throne. Only one who had personally known Machrosias would be able to support that theory, and as it stood Estoma was my best bet at doing so. I didn't even need him to fight with me, just supporting me was enough.

I ran off early in the morning, near sunrise. No one had to really know about it anyway: my secondary body was just as good as me, with the only difference being the HP being half of mine. It didn't really matter if he could avoid getting hit.

As it was Friday, I took also a moment to roll my dice and see what happened.

**Reward 1: +1.000 Gp**

**Reward 2: +1.000 Gp**

**Reward 3: +1.000 Gp**

I furrowed my brow a bit, but accepted it nonetheless. Sometimes luck just wasn't on my side. Oh, well. I could buy something nice with those Gp, at least.

As I ran, I took some time to experiment a bit with some not-combat magic. I would've liked to have more tricks that weren't just meant for destruction: I was already on my way there with Motus and the Temperature control spell, but I would've liked a bit more. I started experimenting a bit with my elements, trying to see what I could find. One nice trick I found was that by combining Motus and Aer, I could make Sonus. Yep, movement and air made sound: who'd have guessed?

Still, Sonus was a fun element to use: It had some combat applications, like confusing my enemies and deafening them, but what did I want to do with it? Well… I'd found a way to activate the Game's music at will. I just had to play a small part of a song, and the system would replicate it, allowing me to follow along almost instinctively. In other words, I could broadcast battle music for everyone!

It did take a while, but I had managed to fine-tune my spell so that only I would hear the music, unless I chose to undo the light layer of Vacuos around me.

Using magic like this didn't get me any skill, interestingly enough. It probably had something to do with the way I did it.

Nonetheless, I followed the directions Meidi had given me the night before and blazed my way through Edrua's eastern side. She wasn't able to tell me _exactly_ where he was, but before he completely disappeared he was seen in Miunachem, one of the bigger cities of Edrua. From what I understood it wasn't quite NY-levels of big, but it was definitely one of the most important. According to her, it was situated about five kilometers south the mountain range that split Edrua in two. The reason for that was that once a year there was an expedition towards the Molten Wastes (the proper name for the volcanic side of Edrua), to collect various minerals and materials that could only be found there.

T there was supposed to be an expedition soon, but since the last Overlord died it had to be abolished due to the immense power that the beasts in the Wastes possessed: without anyone strong enough to repel them, the situation was too risky.

With that little bit of exposition aside, I would like to mention that I was currently in my human form. The reason for that… well, let me run the math for you also this time around. The fastest speed a human could reach is 45 Km/h, and that came with the peak AGI score of 25 for a human. That meant that each point in AGI allowed a person to run at 1,8 Km/h faster.

My base AGI was 602, and that put my maximum speed in that form as 1.083 Km/h. That was just a bit less than 673 miles per hour, if you didn't know. I was lucky that the Game could translate it for me if I asked.

In other words, if I were to turn to my dragon form, I would exceed Mach 1, reaching supersonic levels.

I wanted to listen to music, even if it made my travel slower.

Truly a **Supernatural Body**, am I right?

Edrua was rather big, it seemed, as I had been running for several minutes now in the direction of Miunachem, and still hadn't spotted it. _"Could it be that I'm going the wrong way?"_ I though, as I gave a look at my trusty minimap. Sometimes I forgot that it was there, but in all seriousness: that thing was much more useful than you'd expect for something I barely ever mentioned.

Whenever I wanted to reach a particular place and I had directions for it, a marker would form on the map to show where it was. From what the minimap said, I hadn't strayed from my path.

And in fact, there I could see the city! It was absolutely massive, bigger than anything I'd seen in my life… not that I'd ever seen any truly _big_ cities. I lived in the middle of nowhere before all of this, so it was a novel sight for me.

One thing that quickly attracted my attention was the northern edge of the city: there seemed to be multiple vehicles stationed there. They had a steampunk style, with some uncovered gears and bronze/copper colors. Most of the city had a similar pallet, in fact. I couldn't distinguish individual faces from _that_ far away, but I could still see the mass of demons milling about there. As I got closer, I realized that they were all listening to one demon in particular, who was standing in front of the horde.

As I got closer, I strained my hearing.

"-An' just 'cause we ain't found a new overlord yet doesn't mean that we're gonna just lay back and take this! This city deserves better, I say! So I promise to y'all that I'll make sure you're all safe in the Wastes, and when that's done I'll make sure no one thinks of neglectin' us ever again! An' for ev'ry one that just got 'ere, my name is Reidar! Me an' my trusty sword'll make sure that no one disrespects Miunachem EVER AGAIN!"

"_Huh… that's some passion right there. I honestly hope that he isn't thinking of going for the position of Overlord…"_ Just then, I glanced at my quest. The third entry had changed.

**-Get rid of Reidar**

"_Motherfucker. He doesn't even sound like a bad guy! Wait, maybe I can reason with him."_

With that hope firmly set in my mind and heart, I waded my way through the demons. Some gave me some curious looks, and even flirty looks in two separate occasions… moving on.

I found my way through the demons, and finally found Reidar. He sported fiery red hair cascading down his shoulders into a spiky mess that looked absolutely awesome to me, a shirt with some brass protections sewn onto it, and grey pants stained with oil. Over his shoulder was slung a sword. I couldn't see much about it except for the handle, but what I could see was astoundingly well-made.

As soon as I approached, Reidar turned to me with a slight smile.

"Can I help ya?"

It was probably best to just get to the point. "I hope you can. Are you planning to become Overlord?"

"You know it!" He replied, with a smile and a thumbs up. "So, if ya have any issues ya can be sure that I can deal with it."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Reidar. I am Daniel, and I am also planning to become Overlord." As he went for his sword, I quickly put my hand up. "No need for that, I'm not here for a fight."

He narrowed his eyes, red like all other demons, and spat out a reply. "Then what do ya want?"

My eyes rolled a bit. "Oi, there's no need to be angry. I'm not your enemy—well, in a way I am, but I'd rather not be." His eyebrow rose a bit, so I cut to the chase. "Look, I've seen the passion you put into helping these people –" I swept my hand to point at the mass of demons who were behind me "—and I respect it. I don't want to fight you. But I don't want to give up on being an Overlord either, so I have a proposition for you."

He nodded, his glare softening just a bit. "A'ight. I'm listenin'."

"How about we take down all the others together?"

Reidar looked at me like I was stupid. "Ya takin' me for an idiot? Who's to say that ya ain't gonna stab me in the back as soon as I turn 'round?"

"Eh," I shrugged. "Can't tell you that. You wouldn't believe me anyway. But I'll tell you this: you're the first aspiring Overlord I've met that I actually think would be fit for the job. I mean, Veryon sent a hitman at me and Ingemar is just… Have you ever seen him?"

Reidar grimaced, and nodded. "Yeah, prick showed up 'ere one day and started spoutin' shit 'bout him bein' destined to rule, or whatever. Kicked his ass outta 'ere 'fore ya can say 'punt'."

I nodded gravely. "He deserved no less. I found him in a burning village southwest of here, I don't know exactly what it was called. Point is, he was in the middle of the town, surrounded by a bunch of succubi, and boasting about his 'victory'. What a sorry character." I shook my head fervently, returning to the present. "Anyway, I know that you can't trust me, but I promise you this: if you help me defeat the other runner-ups, we will have a good, old-fashioned duel. Whoever wins gets to be the Overlord, no strings attached. You in?"

Reidar's stare bore into my soul. "On one condition," he said holding up one finger. "We'll have ourselves a spar. Right here, and right now. If you're strong enough to be a challenge, then you're strong enough to be worth workin' with."

I rolled my shoulders a bit. "I think I can oblige, but let's move a bit further, aye?"

He didn't answer, zipping away and stopping around one hundred meters in front of me. I returned a grin, and let my dragon form come out. Reidar grinned too, though his grin was more malicious than eager, and he drew his sword.

The light glinting off the sword's dark-red blade gave me a sense of unease for some reason, but I pushed past it. I did activate **Armor of Agathys**, though. Just for safety.

I rushed forward, prompting Reidar to get his sword ready to parry. Just as I was a few paces in front of him, I used **Flash Step** to appear behind him, and with a fluid motion struck with a blackfire-empowered Prop Shredder. My blade spun upwards, throwing Reidar in the sky.

**Critical hit!**

I didn't let the notification distract me, and followed up with a **Giga Agidyne**. He could take it, I was sure of that.

I didn't expect him to come barreling towards me, though! He shot himself through the air towards me, forcing me to back off. As soon as he reached the ground we locked blades. Our speed was around the same, and so was our strength; our difference was that his skills were way better, while I had higher precision.

Just as we came to a stalemate again, Reidar's blade came right in front of my eyes, filling me with dread the likes of which I'd never felt before. I wasn't sure before, but now I was certain: I had to avoid getting touched by that sword, in any circumstance.

That little moment of hesitation was enough for Reidar to gain the upper hand in our lock, and he pushed me away. I landed a few meters away, a thin cut on my chest.

Just that scratch took almost 7.000 Hp out of me. That confirmed it: that sword was enchanted, probably something against dragons.

It just meant I had to not give him any chance to strike.

He came at me again, but this time I was ready, and ducked under his blade. A knee coming for my face was quickly slapped away, and I punched Reidar in the stomach with all my power. The magic in my fist, my **Attack Boost**, and my new **Megaton Press** all collided into him, sending him flying.

I activated **Bullet time**, and took that brief respite to run a little experiment: Vitium mana had a part of… 'negativity', you could call it. From what I'd read, it was one of the main elements, and the opposite of Ordo: Perditio. I extracted that element, and combined it with Motus. The result was Vinculum, the concept of lack of movement.

I combined the Vinculum mana with something I already possessed and ignored: my **Mana bullet** spell. I pointed my free hand at Reidar, who was just about to straighten himself, and peppered him with my newly named **Crawl bullets**.

He flinched just a bit, but took the impacts in stride and jumped down to the ground. His movements were just barely slower than before, but it was still perceptible. Fair enough: I'd just made that spell in a few seconds, it was bound to be weak.

He went for another swing, but as soon as I parried it I realized that it didn't have much of his strength in it.

Reidar gave me a knowing smirk, and moved back a few steps. "A'ight, I'm satisfied."

I blinked. "Already?"

He shrugged, already walking away. "Yeah, man. You're strong, I'll give ya that, but I ain't got the time to stick 'round the whole day. Got business planned, if ya forgot." He turned back for a moment. "One day, though, we'll need to finish this." He lazily waved at me, and returned to the crowd.

I was stunned, to say the least. The fight had just barely gotten started, and yet he was already leaving?

…Well, looking back to the crowd of demons he was supposed to protect, I couldn't fault him: he would need his full strength if he wanted to defend them all. Which reminded me…

"Hey, Reidar. Wait just a moment."

He quirked an eyebrow, but waited as I approached him. My hands lit up with greenish light, and the wounds on the both of us faded. By the time I was done, Reidar's eyes were wide open.

"Man… that was cool. That was healin' magic, yeah? Ain't seen it with my eyes 'fore now."

This time it was my turn to shrug. "What can I say? I'm pretty versatile. You'll find me a great ally." I was about to leave, when I realized the reason why I was in Miunachem in the first place.

"Say Reidar, can you help me find someone?"

"That depends…" he put a finger to his chin in though. "Who 're ya lookin' for?"

"One demon called Estoma."

Reidar, along with all the demons in hearing range, froze up.

"Did I hear that right?"

"He's looking for Estoma? _That_ Estoma?"

"Kid's got some guts…"

Those and more whispers piled up from the surrounding demons. Reidar pulled himself out of his funk after a moment, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder… squeezing a bit my wings.

"Look, man. I ain't got the slightest as to _why_ ya'd go see that ol' fogey. Buuut… well, it's yer funeral." He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and scribbled something on it. He then passed the piece of paper to me. There was an address written on it.

"Just for the record… this idea o' yours, whatever it is, is pro'lly _dumb_." Just as he was done talking, he disappeared.

I sighed, and made my way within the city. Might as well get to it.

* * *

**-At the same time, a certain someone's P.O.V.-**

"_Good, he seems to be taking this somewhat seriously, at least. The earlier this is over, the earlier I will be able to consider this mess none of my business. Though his continuous worry for those companions of his is slowing him down immensely… At least with this new ally he has a better chance to get it done sooner."_

A small grin grew on my lips. _"I have already waited several centuries, what is a few more days, in the end?"_

My grin faltered a bit as I observed the sphere of white and black smoke. _"It seems to be getting worse… Words may not be enough to return him to normal soon. I can understand his motivations, but… I was too hasty. Too impatient to be done. I should have seen it coming, yet did not."_

A dry chuckle came out of me. _"Maybe I cannot fix it, but I know just who might. Time to give my dear daughter a visit…"_

* * *

**-Another certain someone's P.O.V.-**

"What do you mean 'he escaped'?!" His fist slammed down on the desk with enough strength to crack it.

"Just what I said." I shrugged. "That big armor came back and said: 'he escaped'," I mocked his gruff, echo-y voice as well as I could. "Then, he just left again. I think he's trying to find him again."

His hands went up to his head, and he sighed. Maybe his head hurt?

"You mean to tell me, that we sent one of our strongest out there to find him, and he managed to escape?"

I nodded.

"Great… that makes it so much worse. He's actually strong enough to avoid capture, that makes him a way bigger threat than expected… I'll have to spend more resources on tracking him down, or even have to find him myself!" He slumped down.

I never really understood why he always had others do things for him. He was strong enough to take care of it, right?

His eyes landed to me, and he perked up a bit. "Say…" he began "Would you do your big bro a favor?"

I tapped my chin, taking my time. "I don't know… would I, now…?"

"…I'll throw in some sweets for you."

I shook my head. "Sorry, that's just not enough to make your little sister run around alone like this!"

"Fine!" Yay! He caved in! "You can have 'that', just please get this done. There's not many others who I can trust on this."

I gave a thumbs up. "Alright, big bro! Just leave this to me! I'll get it done in a jiffy!"

I left the room, and my friend got ready to close the door.

"Don't you slam the—"

SLAM!

"—door. Damn it, Metili!"

I climbed up on my friend's shoulder, giggling all the way.

"Come on, buddy! We're off to find a big bad guy!"

* * *

**-Back to Daniel, a wee bit later…-**

After roaming the city for… more than I'd care to admit, and getting the wrong directions more than once, I managed to find the address Reidar had given me, close to the western edge of town.

It was a small, unassuming, home with a lot of plants on the front. It didn't particularly interest me, though I could appreciate their caretaker's ability. Hopefully it was Estoma's house.

I gave a few knocks to the door, and waited

"Just a moment!" Emerged a melodious and calm voice from the house. The pitch was definitely male, though still on the higher end of the spectrum.

The door opened, and hadn't it been for the red eyes, I would've expected the man to be an elf. Very tall, blonde hair, pointy ears (though those were standard-issue for all demons), thin build, a couple of flowers in his hair… Well, I wasn't going to judge. Dude can do whatever.

"Hello, my friend. I don't think we have met before, though… What brings you here?" He asked with a calm and sincere smile on his face.

"I was told to come here, so I'll just ask: are you Estoma?"

His smile froze for a second, and the air around him became much more chilling. "No, of course not. But I don't see why you would need _him_. I am more than able to help you, after all. No need to bother him."

I almost took a step back, before realizing it and stopping myself. My eyes locked on the bastard who _dared_ to stop me.

"I'm sure you consider yourself very skilled and all, but this is not something that involves you. My business with Estoma is a personal matter that needs him specifically. Now stand aside." With that, I let go of my mana.

Normally the Game… or Yggdrasil, I suppose, would allow me to keep my mana contained. Letting is out was akin to unfurling my wings, but more. It exerted a sort of 'pressure' on others, and beings who could sense mana could also tell how powerful someone was by a combination of their mana's pressure and their physical appearance. My body at this point was in peak shape, and my mana was on the high end of the spectrum for a normal demon… unless one were to count the really magically-inclined demons. In that case I was about average, but still. The combination of both aspects would make any lesser demon cower.

I debated activating the 'Doomslayer' title, and did so after a moment. The change was immediate.

"I- er… This really isn't a good idea… Are you sure we can't avoid this? I really don't want to disturb him…"

My glare intensified.

"Just a minute!" He whimpered, and rushed inside again. What a pansy.

I waited a minute.

Then two minutes.

At the three-minute mark I lost my patience, and marched inside. I had no time to waste, after all: there was a fiery ghost knight on my tracks, and I had people who might have to meet him before me. While Goliath could fight off a number of demons, it wasn't _that_ powerful.

I dashed through the house, locking onto the elf-looking demon's magic signature like a beacon. It was… rather deep in the ground. And getting deeper.

"_Wait, is he trying to escape?!"_ I thought, enraged. He would pay for that.

As much as I searched, though, I couldn't find any set of stairs or secret passage that could've led him down. Considering my choices, I tried to let out a small Agi. A magical barrier absorbed it, disappearing a second later.

Growing suspicious, I concentrated on the area around me.

***ding***

**Protection Barrier – Legendary rank**

**-A spell devised by ? to protect ?'s home.**

**-It can absorb any damage lesser than ?.**

**-It will power itself through the power drained.**

"_Dammit all. Gotta find another way through… wait. I can't, but maybe someone else…"_

With rising excitement, I pulled up the menu, and scrolled through the list looking for someone in particular.

After paying the meagre sum of 1.500 Gp, my new ally appeared. His pristine white robes hid his face from me, but there was no need for introductions. I already knew all about him.

The Mentor for the Italian Assassins, Borgia's nightmare…

"…Ezio Auditore. It is an honor to meet you."

As I spoke, I remembered that being of Italian origin Ezio may not have understood me. That doubt was dashed away when he nodded his head. "Likewise," he uttered.

The way his voice sounded was… off in some way. I was certain that he'd spoken in English, and yet there was some sort of echo in Italian. Maybe the Game was translating for me?

***ding***

**Racial trait discovered!**

**Demonilingual – Capable of being understood and understanding any intelligent being**

"_Fantastic. I love this so much. Hope that the echo is only one-sided, though."_

Forcing myself out of my thoughts, I gave Ezio a concise explanation of the situation. "I'm sorry to put pressure on you, but I'm trying to follow someone who might've escaped through a secret passage. As I'm not well-versed in finding them, I hoped that you would be willing to help."

Even though I couldn't see under his cowl, I could tell that Ezio was giving me an inquisitive gaze. "I can aid you, though there are many questions I must ask later," he said. Without waiting for my answer, he strode around the room.

After no more than ten seconds, Ezio began poking around the fireplace in the living room. I was about to ask what was up with it, when a slight click came from the assassin's direction, stopping the words in my throat.

The fireplace and wall folded into themselves, revealing a stairwell. Peering down showed seemingly no end to the steps. It didn't have enough space for my wings, so I wouldn't have been able to glide down. Jumping might've been a choice, but I wasn't too sure in my ability to resist such a fall. Plus, I still had Ezio here.

Well, the last part was rather easy to deal with.

"Ezio, I thank you for your help. As it stands, I need to go down quickly. As such, I would need to leave you behind. If you wish to return home, I will consider the contract complete."

Surprisingly, Ezio shook his head. "I still require some answers. You can rush ahead if you want, I will follow behind you… I doubt that this chase will take three days, at any rate."

If that was what he wanted, I wouldn't stop him. Instead, I readied myself to cast as much protective magic as I could on me. **Armor of Agathys** was one I stacked up a dozen times, and I had **Defense Boost** ready at a moment's notice.

I launched myself.

The fall was shorter than I expected, not giving me the time to actually cast anything.

**-1.495 HP!**

It… wasn't that bad, in the end. I had already an insane durability, so it wasn't much of a problem for me to recover from that drop. Still, it was another reminder that I wasn't human anymore. Could I even die by natural means anymore?

That was a chilling thought. One that I didn't want to dwell on much longer. Instead, I kept my senses locked onto my target's mana, and followed him. Or at least, I tried to. There was no light around me, so I had to make do with lighting up my hand.

A noteworthy peculiarity of my flames: while they would automatically be blackfire in my demonic form, I could make them become normal fire if I concentrated on it. My mastery of fire magic made that a breeze.

While there were no more stairs, the corridor kept going down at a decently steep incline. The polished rock gave way to dirt and moss, along with the smell of soil becoming more pronounced. Step after step, I could also feel the humidity growing thicker, forcing me to feed a bit more mana in my flame to keep it lit.

I noticed the elf-man's mana stop moving, prompting me to go a bit faster. Maybe he realized I was following him? Or maybe there was something blocking his way? It didn't matter. I needed to complete what I came to do, not waste time.

Confusion gave way to amazement, and then to horror. A new mana signature appeared near to the elf's, and… it was titanic. Bigger than _anything_ I'd ever seen, except for Thanatos and Loki themselves! I… I'd finally found Estoma. And I was regretting it, just a bit.

Nonetheless, I steeled my nerves and marched on.

When the end of the corridor came into view, I nearly sprinted towards it. I thought against it, though, as I could see light coming from it. I let the flame die out, and peered outside.

The view was breathtaking: crystals of all shapes and sizes jutted out of the ground from all directions, bathing the cave in an ethereal lilac glow. In the center was a hill, covered in all sorts of plantlife, and one last crystal. This one was much bigger than all the others, possibly being twice as tall as me and three times as wide. There were several smaller crystals sprouting out around it.

Just as I was about to take a step inside, the ground shook. The land split, and part of it rose up, forming a head on a very long neck. The cracks continued, circling around the whole hill, and leaving gigantic legs in their place. The ground-based monstrosity's eye sockets lit up with the same lilac glow around it, and they readily locked onto my position.

Without much else to do, I tried to **Observe** it.

**Estoma – Magic-infused dirt; Ancient golem**

**Lv: Somewhere in the middle 1000s range.**

**Hp: Not your business**

**Mp: Even less so**

**You look familiar…**

There was only one thought that could sum up my thoughts right then and there:

"_Shit…"_

* * *

**Late? Yeah. Do I give a damn? Nah. Quarantine is a bitch to suffer through, and I just couldn't get the creative juices flowing. I **_**have**_** done a good amount of work also on the next chapter for Multiversal Assassin, so there's that at least.**

**I need to study for my finals, though, so if there's no updates beyond that one for the next month or so, you know why.**

**Onto the reviews real quick.**

**Ethhar: "While I appreciate the suggestions, I doubt that Daniel will be creating revival spells of that kind. I'm planning on them being a very scarce resource, only grantable by god-level entities. Not really getting there anytime soon. Some spells have prerequisites that require prerequisites themselves!"**

**Justsomeguy16: "Welp, we have even more characters to deal with now! Yay! Yeah, Daniel's very powerful, I'll shamelessly admit it. But there's things that will very easily swat him aside, don't worry. We should be getting some of that next chapter. For the ranged option… well, I personally love DOOM (if that wasn't noticeable), so I'll be absolutely taking inspiration from that. Heavily. Though he kinda does have a gun he's ignoring? Ah, well. He might remember about it at some point."**

**And that's it. Hope to hear from you all as soon as I can!**

**Xeno out!**

**P.S. Sorry ****for the less than average length. I was already having trouble hitting my minimum, so I thought it would be better to stop now rather than keep padding it.**


	16. 2-6 New Game plus

**-Estoma's P.O.V.-**

Being a golem, there one was thing that you'd always have: time. As long as no one was strong enough to destroy you, you'd keep existing. That gave you the chance to master many things. From gardening, to forging, to spellcraft, and most things in between. I'd had the time to learn that and so much more.

But after that?

I didn't know, so I'd chosen to end my travels for the moment and return to my home, Edrua. I wasn't aware of what had happened while I was gone, but I was certain that Machrosias would have been overjoyed to see me again… not that I could fault the man. We had been together ever since he had first begun learning goleomancy, and since then we'd stuck by each other through thick and thin. I still do not know how he managed to grant me a true mind, but it was the best gift he could have given me.

Or at least, I thought so until that day.

The castle was in shambles, and he was nowhere to be seen. The few demons who I still recognized spoke of divine smiting; the will of some divinity who'd been wronged by Machrosias. I, on the other hand, called it for what it was.

Bollocks.

I could have believed that it may have happened centuries - if not millennia - in the past, but after so long Machrosias should've been by all accounts a god. Or at least, god-like. There was no way for him to have been truly dead.

And yet, as time passed, I was forced to admit that I may have been wrong in the end. He had not returned, and most demons had chosen to move on with their lives. I tried to hold onto hope, that one day he would return, but after centuries on end? It seemed that it was not to be. My closest friend was gone.

I tried, oh so many times, to find him with every bit of knowledge I had amassed in my travels, but I was forced to admit defeat. I retreated into the void between worlds, where none could hear my anguish as I decimated planet upon planet in my grief-fueled rampage.

When my fury subsided, I retreated back to Edrua, and took refuge in the deepest reaches of the land, where no one would find me. What was the point in going on without him? My creator, my best friend, my _brother?!_

That all changed when one small demon found his way in my cave. Apparently, time had eroded the ground enough to form a passageway small enough for the child. He was a frail little thing, his shaggy blonde hair dirtied by loose soil and roots. He'd apparently taken refuge in my cave after a heavy thunderstorm, and chose to remain there.

The young demon was understandably terrified of me when I first woke up to see him. I would've asked him to leave, and never return, but the way he begged me to let him stay touched something within me. I did not have the heart to make him go, and so he became my disciple.

I taught the young demon all I could of plant magic, and he showed a natural disposition for it. Always willing to keep learning, to better himself. Over the years, I started to see him as my own child.

Ironic, is it not? A golem, pretending to be a parent. And yet, I did my best. I wanted to see the young demon flourish, just as Machrosias helped me flourish so long ago. When the city on the surface – Miunachem, he told me it was called – expanded enough to reach just above me, he went out to make a name for himself in that city.

The prospect of having young Ailen never come back was terrifying to me, to the point where I was tempted to leave the cave and find him. It was at that point that I realized that _that_ was how Machrosias must've felt when I left. So, I resolved myself to wait.

After months of patience, he returned.

He'd told me that his abilities in plant magic had aided him, alongside the city, to prosper. He had a new home, built right above the entrance to the cave, so that I would not be bothered.

I appreciated the sentiment, truly, but I felt it was too much. I did not want anything to do with the world, admittedly, but forcing him to act as my gatekeeper was a burden I would not allow him to carry.

He convinced me somewhat, admitting that he did not want to leave my side either. In the end I allowed it, crafting also several intricate wards to prevent any damage done to his house.

Years passed, and everything seemed to be going well. My child had a good life, and I enjoyed my isolation from the world.

It was not to last, though, as he was once confronted with a problem he could not solve himself. He came down, to ask for some guidance. Whoever it was whom had asked for the help had followed him, though, and the voices about my presence spread.

Apparently there were many people who still resented Machrosias, or simply wanted to be rid of me for whatever reason, as a horde of demons marched their way down into my cave, bent on ending me.

I had planned to simply incapacitate them. I had no reason to kill them.

Seeing my own son chained up, beaten and battered, changed that opinion immediately.

Fury consumed me, and I tore them all apart.

Voices must've spread, as no one had tried ever again.

Until now.

* * *

The intruder had a familiar look to him. It was not until the whelp tried to scan me with his magic that I realized what the issue was. Loki's stench was all over him.

I hated that 'god' and everything he stood for. It was him that convinced Machrosias to let me leave his side! It must've been him who turned all those demons against me! And now he had sent one of his agents to try again!

* * *

-** Day 28 (Friday), Underground cave, Daniel's P.O.V.-**

I did not have the time to realize what was happening before Estoma launched a furious roar at me, and pillars of stone rose from the ceiling to smash into me.

My speed was high enough to dodge most of them. One pillar blindsided me and slammed into my back.

**-14.638 HP! Status: [Fractured wing] inflicted!**

"_Fuck that hurts!"_ I thought, panic taking hold. I needed to be faster if I wanted any chance to survive. I activated **Power burst **and **Overdrive** multiple times in a row, and did my best to weave between the rocks still being hurled at me. There was no way to win: only survive.

Walls of stone and spikes were added into the mix, and it all got faster and faster. I didn't have a chance to even speak, concentrated as I was to keep dodging.

I didn't notice the elf chanting something, but I did feel the vines sprouting out of the ground to ensnare my leg. This gave several spikes the chance to impale my chest, legs, and arms.

**-57.281 HP!**

I would've screamed if I had the chance, but the spike in my chest must've had destroyed my lungs. All that was heard was a pained gurgle as blood rushed out of my mouth.

The golem – the monster – rose up to its full height, staring at me with visible vitriol. And then it spoke, in a rumbling voice similar to an earthquake.

"If Loki wanted me gone-" the crystals all over its body started glowing brighter "-he should have come personally. Now begone!"

I tried to plead for mercy, to tell it that I was not here to fight him, but it was useless. I was unable to move or speak, as the rock – harder than diamond – immobilized me. All I could do was stare in horror as the light converged into its maw. The raw blast of mana barreled towards me, shaking my very bones with its power.

My skin burned.

"_Why me?!"_

My muscles were torn to shreds.

"_I just wanted to return to my family!"_

I was being vaporized.

"_I never wanted any of this!"_

I was dying.

"_I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"_

* * *

I was nothing.

The pain was over.

And yet, something bothered me.

I couldn't remember what though.

It was… someone?

A person. No face. No body. But a voice. Caring. Worried. Fun-loving.

I had no idea who it belonged to, but I liked thinking about it. It made me happy.

But it still bothered me.

Who was that person? Did I know them?

Did they know me?

Did I know myself?

Who was I?

**User: 'Daniel Samuels' located.**

Was that… my name? It felt familiar.

**Attempting data recovery…  
****Attempt failed. Data corrupted.**

That seemed bad. Was I gone for good?

**Attempting to reconstruct data…  
****Attempt partially successful: 3.1% data recovered.**

I remembered something. I _was_ Daniel. The voice belonged to my mother.

Where was she? Where was I?

**Attempting to recover physical vessel…  
****Attempt failed. Vessel is not recoverable.  
****Building new vessel… complete.**

I remembered more. A big creature. Light. Pain.

"_I just wanted to return to my family."_

That was what I wanted.

That was what I would do.

**Attempting to contact admin: 'Loki'…  
****Contact failed. Setting default admin: 'Yggdrasil'**

Was that good? Was it bad? I didn't know.

**Loading system… Loading failed.  
****Data integrity: 21.6%  
****Resetting basic data…  
****Patching skills…  
****Rerouting arcane matrix…**

**System setup complete.**

The lines of text disappeared, and instead a blue screen appeared in front of me.

**[Name: Daniel Samuels  
****Title: N/A  
****Class: N/A  
****LV: 0  
****HP: 10/10 (+0.1/min)  
****MP: 10/10 (+0.1/min)**

**STR: 1  
****VIT: 1  
****AGI: 1  
****DEX: 1  
****MAG: 1  
****LUK: 1]**

**Welcome back.**

* * *

**Now, before people start to ask 'What is going on?' 'Why is the chapter so short?' 'Why did Daniel die?'**

**I'm telling you now.**

**I just couldn't continue the story like this. I wanted to bring this to a satisfying end, but I felt that if I were to force myself to keep writing I would lose the love I have for this story. It has taken me so long to upload this story exactly because I had lost my motivation to write it. As such, I felt like the only way to keep going is to do a soft reboot. NOW DON'T PANIC! I'm not scrapping this story like MK1. This will stay canon. Consider this Book 1 of Daniel's tale.**

**I'm sorry I had to tell you guys like this, but it was the only way I could keep going with this story. I promise that Daniel will be back to kicking ass soon, with a modified version of the system to boot! I have to thank TheDarkWolfShiro and his stories for the idea on how to reboot this story. I loved the way he did it for both his characters Kuro and Shiro, and that's what I'll do as well.**

**I would answer the reviews, but I'm really not feeling up to it. Stay tuned, though! A Game of Rebirth and Hope will arrive soon!**

**P.S. A big thanks to justsomeguy16, Ethhar, Spyro fanboy, zackman2k12, HardlightArtemis, Le Dregenbern, NibberWithAHardR, Deus and Artekha, for giving me inspiration and the will to keep writing until now, and ShadowFireAngel for doing his best to help me get better at writing for as long as he could.**

**And of course, a big thanks to all of my readers who I couldn't name here. I love every single one of you (no homo), and hope to hear from you beautiful people next time!**

**-Xeno out!**


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